No More Running
by NoOneInteresting
Summary: Gaara has achieved his goal of becoming Kazekage, but at 18 years old, he still feels empty. That is, until a stormy, impertinant girl named Naoko strolls into his world...
1. System Failure!

Chapter 1: System Failure

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

Chapter 1: System Failure!  


Suna  


"Lord Kazekage"

The 18-year-old Kazekage lifted his head from the scroll he was reading. He was sat at his desk, swamped by mounds of paperwork, which was proving to be unbearably tedious. He was glad to have a visitor to distract him, although of course he wouldn't show it. His face set into a slight scowl, as he feigned his irritation at being disturbed. He looked over to the doorway. The visitor was a young ninja of Chuunin rank. He shuffled awkwardly, a timid look on his face. Gaara vaguely recalled him.

"What is it?" the Kazekage answered in a low growl.

The young ninja jumped at the Kazekage's reply before entering the room a little too enthusiastically. He tripped over his own foot and began hopping around, trying to regain his balance before taking a dramatic nose-dive to the floor. SMACK.

"Oowww"

Gaara watched the scenario, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. What a moron. Reminds me of my brother, he thought, a slight smirk settling on his lips.

The young ninja lifted his face off the floor and struggled to his feet, a goofy smile spreading across his face.

"Is that all?" said the Kazekage, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Err…I've been asked to inform you that the communication and surveillance systems are down, Lord Kazekage-sama"

The Kazekage gave a slight growl. The young ninja continued.

"Our ninja have reported that their headsets aren't working, so they have no means of communicating with their squad members. It seems to be a fault with the main system."

Gaara remained silent for a few seconds, irritated by this extra setback. It will probably mean yet more paperwork. The young ninja shuffled.

"Tell the Council to send for an electrical engineer"

"Yes Sir!" shouted the Chuunin, as he quickly reversed through the door. He swiftly slid the door shut, but didn't move his hand in time.

"Oowww!" came the muffled cry from outside the door. The sound of footsteps faded as the calamitous messenger trotted off down the corridor.

The Kazekage's eyes remained fixed in puzzlement, gazing at the space where the boy had been.

"Hn". If that was an example of the next generation of ninja, then Suna was in trouble, he thought.

Twenty minutes later, the same Chuunin shot through the door again, a little more carefully this time. His dopey face was flushed.

"Lord Kazekage, the Council have sent for a team of engineers. They are currently finishing a job in Konohagakure, but they are headed here as soon as they are finished"

"Very Well"

The Chuunin turned to leave, but Gaara stopped him.

"Tell me…Who is your Sensei?"

"Err…My Sensei?…Kankuro-Sensei, Sir"

"Hn…that explains things"

The young ninja's face adopted a comical look of sheer confusion, before exiting the room. Gaara turned his eyes to his desk. I may die before this paperwork gets finished, he thought.

Konoha 

"Finally" Naoko sighed, fixing a panel onto a rather technical contraption. Technology was her speciality, and she was one of the most gifted engineers around. She dusted herself off and stood up. She was a petite girl with a delicate frame. Her long black hair was messy and tousled, but not unattractive. Her startling green eyes were an enchanting shade of khaki that radiated joyful amusement, but also betrayed a deep sadness. Had she not been grubby and messy from today's work, she could be called pretty. She wore a simple short sleeved black t-shirt and faded black jeans, with half-laced, knee-high, black leather work boots. A number of spiked belts hung over the gentle curve of her hips. She prided herself on being a bit of a rebel, and liked to look the part.

She looked out of the window. The trees shifted and swayed in the breeze and the azure sky remained expansively uninterrupted, save for the odd fluffy cloud skitting along daintily. The cherry trees were in full bloom and blossoms drifted down to decorate the ground in heaps of pale pink petals.

Naoko had enjoyed her time in Konoha. It gave her an opportunity to see her uncle Kakashi again. Not to mention his odd trio of students. Especially the dopey blond one, 'Naruto'. Naoko chuckled at this thought. She'd befriended the three of them, and a few others. Sure, they were a little shocked at her crudeness at first, but who wasn't? Prudish was something Naoko wasn't. But they'd recovered from their shock and had grown fond of her. Naoko usually made quite an impact on people, in one way or another. Coupled with the cool attitude she had adopted from her beloved uncle, she was certainly a character. But as much as she'd like to stay here, it simply wasn't an option. She had to move on. Staying in one place for too long was dangerous.

A troubled look settled on her face, her brow furrowing slightly. 'They'll never stop hunting me down' she thought. Her lips formed the words, but no sound came out. She realised that she was holding her breath. With a sharp shake of her head, she cast her anxiety aside.

Hokage's Office 

Tsunade drummed her fingers loudly on the desk. In front of her stood one half of a team of two engineers; the squad leader was absent.

"Where the hell IS she?"

"I…I'm sure she'll be here, Lady Tsunade"

The Hokage looked at the girl who had spoken. She was an earnest looking girl, with a round face and wavy light brown hair. Her name was Yuki. She was 18, the same age as Naoko. A door slid open and Naoko strolled in, a sardonic expression on her face.

"You're late!" snapped Tsunade.

"I am? Huh" Naoko replied coolly. Just like her uncle, Tsunade thought. The Hokage rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Seeing as you have finished here, another village has requested your assistance. The communication and surveillance systems in Sunagakure have broken down. The Kazekage requested an electrical engineer, and seeing as Konoha and Suna are allies, I offered your services"

Yuki glanced at Naoko for affirmation. The team leader simply replied "Ok". Good, Naoko thought, must keep moving.

"You will depart tonight, and report to the Kazekage's office as soon as you reach Suna"

The two nodded in unison.

"And here is your payment for the work you have done here". Naoko stepped forward to take the envelope that the Hokage held out to her.

"Thanks"

The Hokage nodded and the team turned to leave.

"Oh and…good work, guys" Tsunade said.

Naoko grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Anytime" she chirped.

"So…Suna?" muttered Yuki, once they were halfway down the corridor.

"Yep" breathed Naoko "I hope you like sand, cuz you'll be seeing PLENTY of it there"

Yuki had been working with Naoko for a couple of years now and they considered each other to be best friends. They were complete opposites: unlike Naoko, Yuki was soft spoken and sensible, not to mention reliable and organised. By comparison, Naoko was brash and fiery, enjoyed getting involved in outrageous situations and would probably have lost her own head if it wasn't screwed on. But she was honest and loyal and had a good sense of humour. Somehow the friendship worked. Opposites attract as they say. They'd met in the hidden mist village, Yuki's home, and had begun working together. Yuki didn't mind travelling around a lot; Afterall, Naoko had her reasons for that, but every few months Yuki would return home to see her family again for a while. Naoko would continue working alone, until Yuki returned. She was due to visit home again soon. Naoko would probably be left to finish the job in Suna alone.

The two engineers stepped out into the street, Naoko shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Let's go, I want to see my uncle before we leave, and those loveable misfit students of his" she said with a smile.

Yuki giggled. "Yeah, Naruto would probably freak out and give himself a brain aneurysm if we left without saying goodbye to him"

"Aah, how's my favourite niece?" a silver haired Jonin called smoothly from his seat in the noodle bar.

"Uncle Kakashi…I'm your only niece" Naoko replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Naono, Nuni!! Oo wan phum ramen?" Naruto spluttered through a ramen stuffed mouth.

"Eww Naruto! Disgusting" exclaimed the pretty pink haired kunoichi beside him.

"How did I guess you'd be here?" Naoko asked pointedly, glancing at Naruto.

"Hey Sakura, Sasuke" the two engineers greeted the ninjas. Sakura gave a big smile and Sasuke just raised his eyebrows amicably.

"We've come to say goodbye, we're leaving for Suna tonight" Naoko piped matter of factly.

"So soon?" said Kakashi. Sakura cooed sadly.

Naoko turned to look at Naruto, who had an expression like someone had died, along with a rogue piece of noodle stuck to his chin.

Naoko spluttered with laughter. "What's wrong Naruto? You've got a face like a smacked arse! Are you really going to miss us that much?"

"Yeah! Believe it!" Naruto pointed his chopsticks at her before cramming another load of ramen into the hole in his face.

Everyone laughed, except Sasuke, who just rolled his eyes in that 'too cool for humour' way of his. Sasuke's reaction just made everyone laugh even more.

After the meal (or three meals in Naruto's case, who now looked like he was about to throw up), the engineers rose from the table, and Naoko leapt on her uncle, hugging him madly. She loved to embarrass him like that.

"Alright, Naoko, alright…watch the hair" Kakashi cried, to which Naoko cackled with mischievous laughter. She released the now crumpled man and said goodbye to the other three. Yuki gave a little wave.

"You'll come back and visit soon?" Sakura pleaded.

"Hopefully. An engineers gotta do what an engineers gotta do!" Naoko chimed.

Kakashi sighed heavily. "It's such a shame. You could've been an excellent ninja"

"Don't start uncle Kakashi"

The two girls broke away. "See you later guys!" called Yuki.

"So…to Suna it is" sang Naoko cheerfully.

"Yeah, I wonder what the Kazekage's like. I've heard he's scary…and powerful" Yuki shivered, being her usual sensible, cautious self.

"Oh come on, don't be such a wimp Yuki. He's probably just some withered flaky old man, like most of 'em are. And he can get screwed if he thinks he can tell ME what to do. Afterall, what can he do about it? Tap me to death with his walking stick? Throw his false teeth at me?"


	2. Skating On Thin Ice

Chapter 2: Skating On Thin Ice

(Warning- some bad language)

"Mmnng". Gaara shifted in his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes before angrily snapping them shut again. The morning sunlight filtering through the window was blinding. He groaned again and slowly sat up, rubbing his forehead. He was able to sleep now that Shukaku no longer inhabited his body, and he hated having to wake up.

He hauled himself out of bed and stretched. The sunlight bathed the pale skin of his naked body. Black rimmed aqua eyes scanned the face of the clock on the wall and then glanced at the gourd propped up in the corner of the room. Gaara sloped off into the bathroom to shower. The hot water stung his skin at first. He closed his eyes and focussed his attention inwards. The same emptiness as always. He'd achieved his goal and he'd been Kazekage for a couple of years now, but he was still trying to adjust to his new life. A dreary void filled his soul where something was missing. He was lonely. Of course, he had his siblings, but he didn't really have any friends to speak of. Some of the older villagers were still cold towards him and probably always would be, and Gaara was cold back to them. He had trouble getting close to people, or rather, he didn't know HOW to get close to them.

He got out of the shower and scrubbed his wet body with a towel before roughly towel drying his hair. Tufts of hair stuck out from his head in different directions like a crimson explosion. A few wet locks stuck to his forehead and face. He started pulling on his clothes.

His thoughts turned to his sister, Temari, and the look in her eyes whenever she was with that Shikamaru guy from Konoha. Gaara thought it was dumb…but still…secretly he ached for someone to look at him like that.

He straightened up, now fully dressed, and caught sight of himself in the mirror. His eyes settled on the kanji on his forehead. As if anyone would ever feel that way about me, he thought, and set out for work. First on today's agenda was a meeting regarding village defenses and the curriculum at the academy.

Konoha

"So…Naoko's on her way to Suna, huh?" Kakashi slouched casually against the Hokage's desk.

"Hmm" Tsunade replied, sharing a knowing glance with the silver haired Jonin.

Both of them knew that Naoko's and Gaara's temperaments would clash. The Kazekage's stoic, cold authority would rile the free-spirited, feisty engineer to no end, and the question remained as to whether Gaara could handle Naoko's impertinent attitude. There was bound to be explosions.

Kakashi chuckled. "Gaara may end up regretting his decision to stop killing people"

Tsunade smiled. "Naoko's a funny one. But she may do him some good. He needs to lighten up. I can only imagine some of the stupid situations she'll get him into. I just wish I could be there to see it". The two of them laughed

They were silent for a few seconds. Tsunade's smile disappeared.

"On a more serious note, how is the situation regarding Naoko's safety? Do they know her whereabouts?"

Kakashi grimaced. "No. At least that's what my sources tell me. Naoko moves from place to place, never settling anywhere for too long. That way, they can't track her down. She's always one step ahead" He paused, stretching out. He stood up straight before replacing his hands in his pockets and continuing, "She's a smart girl. She'll be ok".

"But one day she may want to stop running. And then what happens?" The Hokage said softly.

Kakashi flinched as he recalled the fate of his sister, Naoko's mother. Naoko's family had been murdered in revenge by another clan when Naoko was ten years old. Clan warfare was fairly common, but this had been a particularly fierce and blood-soaked vendetta. The rival clan had vowed to extinguish the Kekkei Genkai that Naoko's father carried. The same Kekkei Genkai that made Naoko such a skilled electrical engineer. But she had escaped her family's fate, and was the only survivor.

"We'll deal with that when it happens" Kakashi said quietly. "For now, she's ok".

Suna

It was a warm, hazy afternoon when Naoko and Yuki finally reached Suna. The long journey hadn't bothered them much, they were used to travelling. They had been met by a Jonin at the gates of the village. He had purple paint on his face and was dressed in black. Strapped to his back was a large, elongated object wrapped in bandages. It resembled a mummy. Yuki eyed the object cautiously. Naoko screwed up her nose in curiosity.

"Hey! You're the electrical engineers, right?" he said. A goofy smile appeared on his face, but he seemed kind enough.

"Follow me, I'll escort you to the Kazekage's office".

The two girls trudged alongside him, taking in the sights of the village. Naoko was right: there WAS a lot of sand.

"So who are you?" Naoko asked abruptly.

"Oh! Uh…I'm Sabaku No Kankuro. And you?"

"Naoko. Naoko Imamura. And this is Yuki" Yuki gave a little smile. Kankuro nodded in response.

"The Kazekage is my little brother" he said with a chuckle.

"Your little brother?!" Yuki gawped in disbelief. "Y…You mean…he's young? Younger than you?"

"Well, I guess the old man theory just went out the window" Naoko smirked.

Kankuro raised his eyebrows questioningly. I won't ask, he thought. "He can be a little bad tempered sometimes, but I'm sure you'll be fine"

Yuki gave Naoko a worried look. Naoko just grinned.

Kankuro led the two girls towards a huge building situated at the heart of the village. The three of them ascended a flight of steps and entered a large entrance hall that thronged with activity. There were ninjas of various ranks, all going about their daily business. A large Sand village symbol adorned the back wall. Kankuro glanced around and waved to someone across the room.

"Hey Kankuro! Gaara's in a crappy mood, so don't piss him off!" a voice called.

Kankuro sighed heavily. "My older sister, Temari"  
The two girls looked in her direction. She was a pretty blond kunoichi with uncompromising eyes. A large fan was strapped to her back.

"God almighty…mummies…fans…this gets weirder" Naoko muttered.

They climbed a flight of stairs and turned a corner to be faced by yet more stairs. They reached the top and came to a long corridor, with more corridors branching from it. The place was a maze. A real labyrinth. After three more flights of stairs, the trio snaked through a wide passageway and halted in front of a door.

"Here goes!" Kankuro said. He knocked on the door.

"Enter" came the reply in a low rumble.

The voice made Yuki jump nervously. Even Naoko was a little nervous when she heard it. Excited…she scolded herself…not nervous…excited.

Kankuro slid the door open and addressed the Kazekage sloppily.

"Hey! The engineers are here"

Yuki stepped into the room first, albeit reluctantly. She let out a small gasp when she saw the Kazekage. He was young, maybe the same age as Naoko and herself…and he looked dangerous. His eyes met hers and she quickly looked at the floor, her hands fidgeting.

And in strolled Naoko, leisurely, her thumbs hooked in her pockets. She smirked in the Kazekage's direction. She wasn't going to let him scare her. Not that she was scared, of course.

He was about her age, she surmised, with blood red hair and intimidating pale, sea green eyes rimmed with intense black. A mysterious symbol on his forehead read 'love'. I wonder what that's all about, she thought. He was dressed in typical ninja attire, a black t-shirt underlaid with black fishnet material. His Kazekage robes were draped over the back of his chair. The shapes of powerful, toned muscles were visible through his clothes and his skin was as pale as alabaster. All in all, he cut quite an imposing figure.

"Hi there" Naoko uttered smoothly with a disarming smile. Her eyes glinted with amusement.

Gaara set his gaze upon the girl who had just spoken. He stared at her blankly, but she stared right back, intently. Unaffected. He wasn't used to people behaving so boldly towards him. She met his gaze directly…not many people did that. Interesting, he thought. He surveyed her, the black hair that framed her face, her delicate features, the deep-set green eyes. Gentle curves, and a slim waist. The lazily half-laced boots. She folded her arms and raised her eyebrows at him, settling into a cocky stance. She was nothing like the timid ghost girl beside her.

Gaara was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the engineers to be girls. He turned his eyes to the first girl.

"What is your name?"

"Yuki" she managed to blurt out.

He turned to the other. "And you?" he growled.

"My name is Naoko"

Kankuro remained in the doorway behind them. He gulped. He could sense his brother's foul mood in the atmosphere.

"You are required to detect and solve the fault in our communication and surveillance systems. Kankuro will brief you on the situation…" he paused. His high and mighty attitude was beginning to annoy Naoko.

"I expect you to work quickly and efficiently" he added in a lower tone.

That did it. She strolled over to him, laying her hands on his desk and leaning over to look down at him.

"Listen up, sonny boy, you do your job and leave us to do ours"

"Uh oh" muttered Kankuro, "Big mistake"

With one swift movement, Gaara rose from his seat and slammed his hands down on the desk. There was a deafening crash as his chair hit the wall behind. He stood tall and glared at Naoko menacingly, his eyes narrowed into slits. She was no longer looking down at him. She was looking up. Their faces were inches apart.

"You would be wise to remember your place" he hissed in a low voice, his anger barely contained.

It set Naoko's adrenaline pumping. Was he daring her to continue? She froze beneath the severity of his glare. No, I'm beat, she thought.

The room was locked in silence. Kankuro and Yuki were both wide-eyed and perfectly still. Gaara noted a flash of shock in Naoko's deep-set eyes. She quickly recovered and composed herself. She smiled coolly, disrespectfully turning her back to him and walking towards the door. His steel-set eyes followed her. She turned, flashing him a mischievous smile.

"Ok, you win…for now"

And with that, she left the room. By this point, Yuki was a nervous wreck. She looked to the door, and then back at the Kazekage, unsure what to do. How the hell does she dare to be so reckless, Yuki thought. Sensing that the meeting was over, she edged towards the door, nodding respectfully to the Kazekage before she left to catch up to her friend.

Kankuro shuffled and an awkward grin hijacked his face.

"Y'know, maybe you shouldn't scare pretty girls like that" he drawled dumbly. He decided to stop talking there.

"Shut up Kankuro"

Kankuro left the room, sighing heavily with relief as he slid the door shut. That could have turned out a lot worse.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATHWISH OR SOMETHING?!" Yuki screeched.

"Relax" Naoko sighed, although she knew she should probably take her own advice. The Kazekage's reaction had left her breathless. And even more intrigued.

"That guy needs to chill the fuck out" she said calmly, trying not to seem phased…or interested. Kankuro caught up.

"Sorry about that" he winced "But you were really skating on thin ice in there"

Naoko smiled at the metaphor. "I know. But that's what I do. I skate on thin ice to test the cracks" she smirked "What can I say? Sometimes people break, as you just saw"

"Well, you've got guts anyway," said Kankuro

"Either that or she's just plain stupid" said Yuki, directing a look of disapproval at her daredevil friend.

"Come on, let's head for the Council. They've set aside some rooms for you both while you're staying here in Suna" Kankuro concluded.

Gaara was now reseated at his desk. He had been taken aback by the girl's boldness. No one had ever squared up to him like that before. Or rather, no one had squared up to him and survived. And the way she did it had been almost playful. How interesting.

Maybe he'd scared her a bit too much, he thought. She had tried to appear unfazed but he'd seen the split second of fear in her eyes. She couldn't hide it from him. No, she deserved it. Still, the scenario had left him deeply curious. He decided he had a desire to investigate this girl further. Maybe tomorrow, he concluded.

A/N: Please review! :)


	3. Nightmares in a Cold Room

Chapter 3: Nightmares in a Cold Room

(Warning: Bad language and violence that some people may find upsetting)

A cold, dark room. On one side there was a rusty stove and a kettle on the worktop beside it. On the other side of the room stood a simple table and one wooden chair, both notched and peeling with age. Various tools were scattered on the tabletop: a screwdriver, a crowbar, parts and pieces of an electrical nature, transistors and the like. On the floor rested a black backpack that contained a girl's entire belongings. This was all she owned in the world.

It was the time of night when reality begins to shift and distort. Thoughts become deeper and more abstract, and something hardly feared in daylight grows with terrifying intensity within the stifling shadows of the night. From 3am until dawn, this is the realm that rules. This is the hyper-reality of twilight that drugs the conscious mind into submission, allowing the unconscious mind to unfurl like the bud of a night-dwelling flower. Silence enveloped that world, thick and heavy. Inescapable.

In the centre of the room was a small bed. In it rested Naoko, deep in sleep. Her small body was wrapped in thin covers, forming a cocoon-like bundle. She was curled up in a foetal position. Her eyelids flickered. She was dreaming…

Darkness. For a while it seemed unbroken, but gradually pale drifting shapes became visible. Snowflakes. They fell softly and silently to the ground, twirling and dancing before they met their resting place. A small girl tiptoed through the snow. She smiled as a fluffy snowflake landed on the tip of her nose. It was around 6pm, but at this time of year it got dark early. The girl approached a house. The home she shared with her family. But as she moved closer, she became tense. Something felt wrong. She stood on the tips of her toes to peer through the window and pressed her hands against the pane of glass. She gasped. Dark figures moved around the room. Someone had broken in.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw her mother. She was on the floor. A large man knelt over her body, his hands wringing her mother's throat. He was strangling her. The veins in his hands stood out as he squeezed with a crushing grip. The girl's mother made a feeble attempt to remove the iron grip around her neck, but lack of oxygen made her weak. Her face contorted frighteningly.

The young girl watched the horrific scene in terror. She wanted to scream, to cry out, but the only sound that left her was a hoarse whimper, almost inaudible. She noticed a crumpled shape in the doorway. Her father. He convulsed and was hacking up blood. His limbs were twisted, jutting out at odd angles. There were stab wounds all over his body, and a deep gash in his neck. Dark figures stood around him, and she could hear shouts, but couldn't tell what they were saying. Then a large boot came down hard to stamp on her father's face. The young girl brought her hands up, clawing at her ears, trying to block out the sound it made. And the choking, gurgling noises coming from her mother. Tears spilled down the girl's cheeks, her face twisting in sheer terror.

"Daddy…" she whispered

Suddenly, her mother's wide eyes turned to the window and she saw her daughter. The mother began flailing her arms desperately, signaling to the girl. Her mother's lips formed silent words as the life was choked from her body.

"Run Naoko…"

And she did. She ran, hacking and sobbing, stumbling over the frozen earth.

"Mother". She dragged the word out of her body again and again, like a mantra, as if trying to organise the mess of her mind.

She ran and ran, until the cold air ripped in and out of her lungs painfully. Finally, her small body failed her and she crashed into the snow. Still she tried to move, attempting to drag herself with her hands. She gave up, her body wracked with grief and exhaustion. She turned to look behind her. No one had followed. In the distance, she saw her home, engulfed in flames.

Naoko slammed her body upright and looked around the room in a panic, now wide awake.

"Just a dream…" she muttered.

Her body shook violently and she broke down in sobs. Hot tears soaked her hair, her hands and face, the sparse bedsheets. Her hands wound their way into her hair, twisting desperately. Her fingernails met her palms. She didn't feel the pain.

She wept in the frozen room, which was so cold she could almost see her breath. Gradually she calmed down until she could cry no more. A cruel silence seized her.

She finally dragged herself out of bed. It would be morning soon. She may as well get up and start working, she thought. She couldn't go back to sleep now, not after the nightmare she'd just had.

She dressed herself quietly, gathered her tools and left the room. The room itself was awful and insanely cold. It was the room that the Council had designated for her to stay in while she worked in Suna. It was in a small separate outbuilding at the edge of the Council grounds. She closed the door and made her way to the main Council building.

Morning

Gaara made his way through the corridors of the Suna Council building. It was 9:15am. In his mind he replayed the scenario with his siblings at the dinner table last night:

Gaara and Kankuro were sat at the table. Gaara was quietly munching on a chocolate chip cookie. It was his fourth. God forbid anyone finds out that their fearsome Kazekage's favorite food was chocolate chip cookies. Temari was at the sink, washing the dishes.

A mischievous grin flashed over Kankuro's face, indicating that he was about to say something stupid.

"Hey Temari, Gaara got faced off by a girl today…teeheehee" he cackled.

Temari raised her eyebrows. Gaara shot a fierce glare at his fool of a brother…If looks could kill…  
Kankuro cracked up laughing.

"Hahahaha…Gaara…your face…" he spluttered out. He managed to control himself and continued. "Come on, you loved it. You could have cut the sexual tension in that room with a knife"

Temari had her back to them, but her shoulders were shaking, indicating silent laughter. The thought of Gaara being sexual was hilarious to the two of them, and they knew he became embarrassed whenever the conversation turned to sex. This made it funnier. Kankuro continued to make fun of his little brother.

"Come on Gaara, you have to admit she was pretty hot. You'd do her, right?"

That was the last straw. Temari collapsed into the sink, shrieking with laughter.

"Kankuro, you're a fucking idiot" Gaara growled viciously. Gaara's inability to take a joke just made it more tempting to make fun of him. Temari decided to join in. She struggled to force back her laughter and sidled up next to him, stroking his fiery hair.

"Awww…has Gaara got a little girlfriend?" she cooed in a sweet, patronising voice.

Gaara frowned and pouted slightly, in a sulky childlike way, although he wasn't aware of it. Temari saw and cooed at her little brother even more.

Gaara pulled away from her sharply and stood up to leave the table. He'd had enough of this. He smacked his brother upside the head as he walked past, knocking Kankuro off his chair and leaving him in a heap on the kitchen floor, still laughing. Gaara stamped off to his room.

Kankuro and Temari loved to wind up their little brother now there was no risk of Shukaku killing them. He was a regular target. You could say they were just making up for lost time.

"I think I hit a nerve there" said Kankuro.

"Or…maybe there's some truth in it" Temari replied with a wink.

Gaara snapped out of his flashback and continued pacing down the corridor. He'd grown to love his siblings. But they were still idiots.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of children. He frowned. Those damn kids from the village have sneaked into the building again, he thought. So much for security. They were congregated at the end of the corridor, peeking into the technical room, giggling.

"I WON'T TELL YOU AGAIN!! NOW PISS OFF!" The Kazekage recognised the voice; it was the stormy engineer from yesterday.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light leapt through the door, crashing into the wall. The children screamed and squealed, running down the corridor and laughing like lunatics.

"AND NEXT TIME I WON'T MISS!!"

Gaara's eyes widened…was that…a bolt of lightning? What the hell was going on?

He walked towards the door. The children looked up at the Kazekage and gulped. They'd been busted. They were in big trouble now. They shot off in the other direction, disappearing down some stairs, no longer laughing.

Gaara turned and looked through the door silently. There was the engineer on the floor, curled up with machines. She worked away, screwdriver in hand. She had one of the generators in pieces, and a cable wrapped around one leg, although she didn't seem to notice.

"Damn kids" she muttered to herself.

She was on all fours, her shapely bottom facing the door where the Kazekage stood. He stared. Afterall, he was an 18 year old male. She started humming a little tune to herself, occasionally moving her hips to the rhythm. That didn't help…Gaara continued to stare. The things people do when they think they're alone, he thought.

The engineer clicked something into place and flicked a switch. The machine shuddered into life and began to hum. But after a few seconds it ground to a halt.

"Oh fuck" Naoko muttered curtly, still unaware she was being watched.

She extended an elegant hand to the machine and a spark of electricity sprang from her fingers. The machine started up again. She seemed satisfied with this and rose, now kneeling. She turned around.

"SHIT!" she cried, jumping when she noticed the Kazekage watching her. "Oh it's you" she said more calmly, recovering from her shock.

He ignored her rudeness. "That electricity that came from your hands. It's a Kekkei Genkai, isn't it?"

She stood up, unwinding the cable from around her leg and dusting herself off. There was a smudge of dirt on her nose.

"It is" she replied.

"Explain it to me" he ordered.

She chuckled. Polite or not, he gets straight to the point, she thought.

"I inherited it from my father's clan. The Imamura clan. I can bend electrons to my will and manipulate the electromagnetic field around my body…"

She paused, extending an arm. A spanner on the floor trembled, and then rose, floating up through the air towards her, before landing firmly in the palm of her hand.

"…One result is magnetism" she looked at the Kazekage. His eyes betrayed a hint of interest. She continued.

"I can also create electric currents, controlling the voltage to my desire, from a mere spark to a full scale bolt of lightning, as you saw earlier. I can borrow energy from the atmosphere around me too"

"Like in a storm?" the Kazekage asked.

Woah results! she thought gleefully.

"Yeah, like in a storm. There's always tons of static electricity in the air before and during a storm, and I can channel that energy"

"Hn" he said, impressed with her explanation, although his face didn't show it.

"Cool, huh?" she chirped. She finished with a beautiful smile.

Gaara almost smiled back. Almost. He managed to stop himself and he frowned instead.

She tutted at him, slightly annoyed. People were usually amazed by her abilities, but this guy looked almost uninterested. Even so, she decided she liked him. She had no idea why, but she wanted to find out more about him. She set back to work.

"It must have been you who scared those kids off, right?" she giggled "Do you realise how intimidating you are? You really shook me up yesterday, y'know. But don't tell anyone I said that, ok? I have an image to maintain" she winked.

"I see" was his simple response.

She decided to shut up. Conversation was obviously going nowhere with this guy.

He watched her work. She moved fluidly, fixing some parts, dismantling others. A look of delicate concentration caressed her face. She reached up to smooth back her hair.

Gaara's heart started to beat faster. Why is that? he wondered. This girl seemed to have some sort of effect on him. He decided to try his hand at conversation. He wanted to hear her voice again.

"Where's the other girl?" it came out in a growl.

"Oh, you mean Yuki? She's in a room down the hall, surveying the headsets"

"Did the Council designate rooms for you both?"

She looked a little pissed off at that. "Hmm. If you can call them rooms…they're more like prison cells. And they're so fucking freezing its unreal"

Gaara frowned. The useless old fools must have put the engineers in one of the outbuildings, instead of the warmer main building, he deduced. And it got cold out here in the desert at night. REALLY cold. He made a mental note to himself to chastise the Council members for their inhospitality. He walked towards the door.

"You're leaving, Lord Kazekage?" she said, sounding almost disappointed.

His eyes pierced her. "I have things to do…"

"…and call me Gaara". He left the room.

Her mouth dropped open in disbelief before forming a satisfied smile. Progress!

"Gaara" she whispered, smiling dreamily.

A/N: All reviews will be rewarded with my endless love and appreciation ;)


	4. Sand!

A/N: Thanks for the reviews

It was getting dark outside. Yuki and Naoko sat cross-legged on the floor in Naoko's room. They were recording their progress and listing the jobs still remaining. Yuki was counting electronic parts and occasionally shouting out numbers, which Naoko scribbled down on a clipboard, documenting the parts they had left and making a note of the parts they needed.

"We've run out of small diaphragm ribbon transducers for the headsets, and we could use a new multi-core hard drive for the system core" Yuki announced. Naoko scribbled it down.

"I wonder if we'll see that Kankuro guy again" Yuki mumbled.

Naoko raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Yuki averted her gaze and blushed.

"Sounds like you have a thing for that dopey mummy-man" Naoko teased.

"NO! I just…think he seemed nice…that's all"

"Right. Sure" Naoko said sarcastically. "It's strange…they're brothers, but he's so different from Kankuro"

"Are you talking about the Kazekage?" Yuki asked.

"Gaara" Naoko said with a smile.

"Huh?"

"His name is Gaara". Naoko looked at her friend, who had a very shocked expression on her face.

"How do you know his name?" She asked.

"He told me. We had a little chat earlier". A giddy smile was fixed on Naoko's face.

"Aren't you scared of him?" Yuki asked. SHE certainly was.

"I'm not scared of anything!" Naoko snapped defiantly, her face setting in an adamant frown. Yuki rolled her eyes. Here she goes again with the tough girl thing, she thought.

"…Besides…" Naoko continued, "He doesn't seem so bad…just very serious…and closed off. Like he doesn't let anyone in. He's not difficult to read. Something must have made him that way. Something must have happened to him". Her face softened. "I intend to find out"

"Maybe he doesn't want you delving into his soul and prying like that" Yuki argued, worried by her friend's plucky stupidity.

Naoko silently thought about this for a while. Maybe Yuki was right. He'd frightened Naoko when they'd first met. She didn't particularly want to rouse his anger again- he had a terrifying temper. Naoko imagined the feelings of shinobi who had faced Gaara in battle. She pitied them deeply. She had never seen him fight and she knew nothing of his abilities but she imagined he was a force to be reckoned with. Afterall, he wouldn't be Kazekage otherwise.

The two girls were silent for a while. Naoko grinned.

"He's cute"

"That's not exactly the word I would use to describe him" Yuki replied nonchalantly. Then a thought crossed her mind…She turned to Naoko, a horrified look upon Yuki's face.

"Oh no, Naoko, don't tell me you have a crush on him?!"

Naoko cracked up laughing. Surprisingly, that thought hadn't really occurred to her yet. But now that her friend mentioned it, maybe it wasn't such a crazy idea. It would explain a lot of things: the way her heart raced when he spoke, the way she couldn't tear her eyes from his when he looked at her, the way she just had to know more about him.

"Maybe I do have a crush on him…He IS good looking, don't you think Yuki?" She decided to continue, enjoying her friend's obvious discomfort.  
"I bet he's a real Tiger in bed" She giggled, winking at Yuki.

Then it hit her. She'd intended that last remark to make Yuki uncomfortable, but the more she thought about it, a feeling began to well up inside her stomach. She imagined 'being' with the Kazekage. She blushed fiercely. She imagined those intense eyes. That strong, toned body exposed. The room didn't feel so cold anymore. In fact, Naoko felt hot and flustered.

Suddenly, there was a heavy knock on the door. The girls jumped, and Naoko was dragged from her lustful thoughts. She stood up and caught her breath, making her way to the door. She opened it.

Her heart jumped violently. She was sure that her chest visibly moved with the impact it made. It was Gaara. She looked at him. After the thoughts she'd just had she didn't see him in the same light anymore. She quickly regained her irreverent self. She wasn't going to let a man make her feel nervous. She toughened up her stance, placing a hand on her hip.

"Hey Tiger" she said, hearing her friend splutter with laughter behind her. An insider's joke.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her, having no idea what was so funny. Tiger? Why did she call me that? He was starting to regret his decision to come here.

"I've assigned new rooms to you both" he said simply, matter of factly.

"Why do you care?" Naoko said harshly. He shot her a cold glare.

"Fine. Stay in this hovel and freeze to death". He turned to walk away.

"No! Wait!" She stepped after him. "We'll take the new rooms" She said quietly.

He waited outside the door, arms folded, while they quickly packed their things. Yuki scuttled past him nervously back to her own room to pick up her bag. When they were ready, he led them out through the courtyard towards the main building. It was dark now, and the girls shivered in the cold air. The Kazekage seemed oblivious to the temperature.

Maybe he doesn't feel the cold, Yuki surmised. He's colder than ice anyway, so he doesn't notice. Is he even human? She tried to imagine him being kind or gentle, or laughing, but she just couldn't picture it. He reminded her of the inanimate machines she worked with.

Naoko watched him quietly. They were walking about a meter behind him. She concentrated on his feet. The steady pace of his footsteps. If it wasn't for the huge gourd on his back impeding her view, you could bet your bottom dollar she'd be checking out his ass. Unlike Yuki, Naoko didn't think he was inhuman. He'd taken the trouble to find better rooms for them both. That alone proved that he was considerate.

They were in the main Council building now, on the 8th floor. Naoko was almost breathless from walking up all those stairs. Gaara, of course, was completely unaffected.

Halfway down a long corridor, he stopped. He motioned to two doors, side by side. Room 5 and Room 6.

"Here" he said simply.

Naoko opened the door to room number 5. She gasped, stepping inside and looking around. There was luxurious mahogany furniture: a chest of drawers, a table in front of a large snug looking couch, a desk with a cushioned stool. The walls were a calm shade of beige and the large windows were draped with expensive looking curtains in a shade of burgundy. An elegant lamp provided a soft glow. It was a far cry from her previous room. And most importantly, it was warm. These must be the rooms they use for important visitors to Suna. Doors led from this main room into others. She whooped and ran off to explore. A kitchen, with a large table and four chairs. Fully functioning kitchen appliances. She left this room and came back into the main one, opening another door. The bedroom.

"Woah". She looked around. A double bed! Complete with soft, thick burgundy covers and pillows. A large glass door led out to some kind of balcony that seemed to run the entire length of this side of the building. Naoko looked at the bed. She took a running jump and began bouncing on it.

Gaara remained in the corridor. He could hear Naoko giggling along with a soft, rhythmic thumping/creaking sound. What the hell was this crazy girl doing now? He turned and looked at the other room, room number 6. Yuki had already shot in there and closed the door behind her. He turned back to room number 5. Naoko was now in the doorway, gazing at him intently with those deep forest eyes of hers.

"Gaara…thank you" she said softly.

His stomach flipped. It was incredibly rare that anyone spoke to him that way. Softly. Gratefully. He'd done something good. He turned away to stalk off down the corridor.

"My residence is at the end of the hall if you need anything" he said as he walked.

Naoko peered round the doorway to look at the room he was heading towards. The number on the door? Number 1 of course. She smiled and returned to her room, closing the door behind her.

……………………………..

Gaara finished the last of his blasted paperwork. He stretched, and rose from his chair. It was well past midnight. He walked to the window to close the curtains. He froze when he saw a figure on the balcony outside. It was Naoko. The Kazekage's room led out to the same balcony as Naoko's room. He watched her. She was perched on the wall gazing up at the night sky. She was wearing an oversized coat that looked funny on her petite frame. Her hair shone delicately in the moonlight. He used to sit in that same spot, gazing up at the moon in exactly the same way, back in the days when Shukaku prevented him from sleeping. Why was she still awake at this hour? Should he approach her? He didn't have time to answer that question. His feet decided for him. He walked over to the door and stepped outside. She turned around. God, she looked beautiful in the moonlight, he thought.

"Hey Tiger" she said softly, smiling.

He walked over to her. "Why are you still awake?"

"…couldn't sleep" she replied turning back to look at the sky. He stood beside her.

"I wonder how my uncle Kakashi's doing" she muttered to herself.

Hearing this, Gaara turned to her. "Kakashi Hatake is your uncle?"

"That's right. My mother's brother. Why? Do you know him?"

"Not personally. But I know his students"

Naoko giggled. "You mean Naruto? And Sasuke and Sakura?"

"Hn"

"Those guys are great" she smiled. There was a comfortable silence. Finally Gaara spoke.

"You're originally from Konoha then?"

"No. I was born and raised in Kumogakure. The village hidden in the clouds. I was raised as a ninja, I passed the Chuunin exams when I was 9." Gaara looked at her. She was a ninja? Then he noticed a painful sadness in her eyes.

"My family was murdered when I was 10. I haven't been back home to Kumogakure since. And I stopped training as a ninja. I'd already seen enough violence to last a lifetime. I've been moving from place to place ever since. I started working as an electrical engineer. I like technology… the mechanics of it… the logic… Machines don't lie. Not like people. Machines can never leave you on your own. And when they die, you can fix them again" She stopped.

Gaara listened in silence, his mouth open slightly. She'd been through so much. Like him. There was a lot to this girl.

Naoko suddenly strolled off a little way. She skipped to a stop. Turning around, she smiled at Gaara, back to her usual mischievous self.

She pointed to the object on his back. "What's with the gourd you always carry around with you? What's in it?"

"My weapon" was all he said.

"Your weapon, huh?" She flashed him a cunning smile. "You must be a really powerful ninja". Let's see how good you are, she thought with a wicked grin.

He saw the grin. What's she upto, he wondered.

She held out one hand. Nothing too extreme, she told herself. She wouldn't use a fatal voltage. Just enough to give him a bit of a shock. This would be fun!

A blazing spark of electricity shot from her extended arm, straight towards Gaara. The sound of impact.

She blinked. Sand?!

A wall of sand had sprung around him, protecting him from her attack. The sand gradually began to recede, revealing a very unimpressed looking Kazekage. She stared at him. She was astonished.

Before she had time to speak, she felt herself being lifted from the ground. She panicked. Looking down, she saw sand wrapped around her lower body, lifting her into the air.

"What the fuck?!" she screamed.

The pressure increased as the sand began to squeeze her. It wasn't painful, but it squeezed hard enough to send her a clear message: this was a warning. She glared at him.

"So this is your weapon? Very clever. Now put me down"

He stayed perfectly still, looking up at her, his arms folded across his broad chest. Naoko looked down over the edge of the balcony. She saw the village. It was a long way down.

"Seriously, Gaara…put me down…I'm scared of heights". She looked worried.

"Then close your eyes" he growled.

She began struggling, beating the sand with her fists. It didn't help. Then something very strange happened…

Gaara smiled. A real smile. She could see his perfect teeth. God, he looked handsome. She glared.

"You're cruel" she snapped.

"You have no idea" he replied in a low growl.

"I don't like you anymore" she said, pouting. She's funny like this, Gaara thought to himself.

He laughed. A deep, gorgeous sound, that reminded Naoko of thick treacle. It sent a thrill through her body.

He was enjoying this, she thought. He liked seeing her like this, helpless. He liked having her at his mercy. She was annoyed. She wasn't used to feeling this helpless. He'd won… again.

"Ok, you're gonna have to put me down now. I really need to pee"

Gaara raised his hairless eyebrows at her. After a few seconds, the sand gently lowered her to the ground, unwinding itself from around her body and flowing back into the gourd on Gaara's back.

She frowned and began to walk back to her room. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back to him, a look of desperate questioning in her eyes.

"Gaara… what do you think of me?"

He watched the raven-haired girl, the moonlight illuminating her curves. He thought about her question for a few seconds. Finally he answered.

"I think you're the most foul-mouthed girl I've ever met"

Silence.

"And what do you think of me?" he asked.

"After that, I think you're a prick" and she disappeared into her room, slamming the door.

Gaara watched, smiling again. He could get used to this smiling business, he thought. Especially with Naoko around. He felt more relaxed around her, and she entertained him, and despite her irreverent attitude, he liked her. He walked back to his room.

Once back inside, he noticed that the emptiness in his heart had somewhat subsided. It seemed less gaping, less painful somehow.

Suddenly he felt a yearning. He yearned to be with her, to hold her. He was confused. What was this girl doing to him? He felt completely defeated by this power she had over him.

His Shinobi mind kicked in: All his years of training had not prepared him for this kind of attack.


	5. The Truth about the Demon

A/N: Thanks everyone

Chapter 5: The Truth about the Demon

Naoko awoke and smiled. Last night had been interesting. Fun, even. She'd never imagined that sand could be used as a weapon. Gaara really was full of surprises. And he'd SMILED! He'd even laughed! That was the first time she'd seen that kind of reaction from him. That had to mean something, right? Then again, maybe I'm just kidding myself, she thought. Maybe I'm just seeing something that isn't there. I'm the most foul-mouthed girl he's ever met… what did he mean by that? Is it a good thing? Naoko was frustrated at the way he'd avoided answering the question properly. Did he like her is what she wanted to know. Sabaku no Gaara was an enigma. He seemed determined to keep his real thoughts and feelings hidden. She knew hardly anything about him.

She spread out in the luxuriously soft double bed. She was so warm and comfortable she didn't want to get up. And the ridiculous, loved-up smile that was pasted across her face was beginning to irritate her. But it just wouldn't go away. She was starting to feel like a school girl with a secret forbidden crush. And that crush was Lord Kazekage of Sunagakure. What an insane turn of events, she mused. Who would have guessed?

She clumsily dragged herself out of bed, before stubbing her toe and swearing. After the barrage of expletives she made her way to the large, pristine bathroom. She peeled away her nightclothes and stood in front of the full-length mirror. She traced her eyes over the girl reflected before her. She was petite and always had been. She ran through the positives and negatives in her mind: Her knees were kinda knobbly, and her feet were bigger than average. Her eyes floated up to her chest. She'd never been big chested, and she cursed her genes for it. Despite all her cocky arrogance and feigned coolness, secretly she was a deeply shy girl, and especially unconfident when it came to her body. She was still a virgin and the thought of allowing someone to see her naked made her nervous. She felt inferior compared to other girls, especially Yuki. Yuki's breasts were like two shopping bags. She could use her chest as a shelf when she needed extra storage space. Lucky bitch, Naoko thought. Her eyes focussed on her mirror image. So her breasts were on the smallish side, but they were perfectly formed. Cute, some might say. Creamy flesh peaked into soft, pink nipples that were neither too big nor too small. She wondered to herself whether Gaara preferred big chested women. Had he ever had a girlfriend? If so, did Naoko compare favourably?

Her eyes moved on. Next. She examined her curvy hips. Now hips she had. Turning slightly, she glanced over her rear. She smiled. She had always been proud of her ass. The soft, full flesh of her buttocks was womanly. She faced forward again. Her favourite asset was her eyes. A thousand shades of the deepest noble green: emerald, forest, khaki; the iris was outlined by a rim of black. And with her thousand shade eyes came a thousand emotions. Her expressive eyes could convey anything: limitless elation, the inner chaos of despair. With a quick, sarcastic raise of her highly arched brows she could transform even the most conceited person into a puddle of inferiority.

She swept a final glance over her body. Sure, she was by no means perfect, but she wasn't bad, she evaluated. She was slender and willowy, and her skin was smooth and clear.

She showered quickly and dressed in a black, racer back vest top and black jeans, finished with the boots. Not much variation in her choice of clothing. She rushed out of the door and headed for the village. She hadn't had chance to explore yet, and she needed to pick up some supplies from the electrical hardware store.

After about an hour of browsing the technical beauty on display in the shop, she purchased the required items and left. She had inspected them carefully, turning them in her hands, checking the wires. She stopped at a small teahouse for lunch.

"Hey!" a shrill voice cried. Naoko turned to see the blond kunoichi, Gaara's and Kankuro's sister. The kunoichi strolled over to Naoko's table with a curious smile.

"You're one of the engineers, right?"

"Hai. Temari, isn't it?" Naoko replied.

"Yeah. Do you mind if I join you? I've been training since first thing this morning and I'm starving"

The two girls settled into a pleasant conversation. Naoko found Temari to be funny and quick-witted, and instantly liked her.

"Kankuro told me about the incident in Gaara's office. Sorry about him. He can be a little bad tempered."

"I noticed" Naoko smiled.

"But from what Kankuro said, you gave Gaara a run for his money" the blond giggled.

Naoko smirked. There was a pause. Naoko shifted nervously.

"What's the deal with him anyway?"

"Huh? What d'you mean?" Temari replied through a mouth full of sandwich.

"…Well…I hardly know anything about him. We spoke last night on the balcony and I practically told him my life story. But he seems so reluctant to talk about himself. Why is that?". Temari raised her eyebrows.

"You spoke to him last night? Sounds like you got further than most people do. He tends to avoid conversation when he can." She shrugged "Maybe he likes you…The truth is, Gaara doesn't open up to people. He's afraid to get close to anyone"

Naoko gazed at Temari with wide eyes. She was listening intently now. This was what she wanted to find out about.

"Why?" She asked. Temari shifted uncomfortably.

"It's probably not my place to tell you…"

"No, please. Carry on…" Naoko begged. Temari sighed.

"Gaara was…manufactured…The prosperity of the village was decreasing and Suna was in need of skilled shinobi. And so my father, the Kazekage, decided to create a ninja that was superior to all others. A ninja that could protect the village and act as an ultimate weapon. When my mother got pregnant, the elders of the village implanted Shukaku within the foetus inside of her"

Naoko's brow furrowed a little. "Shukaku?"

"Shukaku was a sand demon. The one-tailed. A creature of terrifying power and destruction. My mother was used as a sacrifice to create this ultimate shinobi…The result was Gaara."

Naoko waited for Temari to continue.

"Because of the demon sealed within him, Gaara's mind became unstable. He couldn't control the evil force inside him and he began killing people. Everyone in the village feared and hated him, and Gaara had no friends, no one who cared. He was alone. When Gaara turned 6, my father decided that he was too great a liability…He could end up destroying the very village he was meant to protect. So my father ordered Gaara's assassination."

Naoko gasped in horror. This was all too crazy.

"Our uncle, Yashamaru, volunteered to kill Gaara. Gaara always thought that Yashamaru was the one person who cared about him, but the assassination attempt failed, and when Gaara realised that his attacker was Yashamaru, something inside him died. From that day forward, Gaara became a killing machine. He would slaughter people just for the fun of it. He uses the sand in his gourd to crush his victims to death. It's also his absolute defense. Even Kankuro and I feared for our lives. Gaara was a demon; a demon who loved only himself, and fought only for himself."

Naoko sat silently, trying to digest what she'd just heard. She knew that he had a dangerous temper, but she'd never imagined something of this scale. A manufactured shinobi, a demon, a ruthless murderer. Naoko remembered what had happened last night. Suddenly, she felt stupid. He could have killed her at any moment. She remembered how the sand had lifted her with ease, effortlessly wrapping itself around her body and squeezing. She shivered.

"What happened after that?" She asked Temari.

Temari explained how Gaara had had a change of heart. She told Naoko about his efforts to win back the trust of the people of Sunagakure, and his subsequent promotion to Kazekage. She described the battle against the Akatsuki and the way Gaara had risked him own life to save the village. The kidnapping. The extraction of Shukaku. Gaara's death. The rescue that followed. When she'd finished, she sat back in her chair, a pained expression on her face. "I should have been there for him more. None of the things that happened were his fault, and yet he paid the price for everyone else's mistakes"

Naoko didn't know what to think anymore. "It's not fair, is it?" she said quietly.

The blond agreed, taking a sip of tea. "Please don't tell Gaara that I told you all of this"

"Don't worry about it" Naoko reassured her.

Temari stood up to leave, saying her goodbyes to her new friend. The two girls agreed to have lunch again sometime. The blond strolled back to the training ground, wondering if she'd done the right thing. In her mind she argued back and forth, finally deciding that she'd made the right decision. She liked this Naoko; she was good-hearted and honest, and Temari believed that the girl had the right to know what she was dealing with. Especially since Naoko and Gaara seemed to be friends now. Afterall, Gaara wouldn't have told Naoko. He never spoke about it to anyone. So someone had to tell Naoko the truth, right? Temari decided to stop thinking about the whole situation. What's done is done, she concluded. If she hadn't said anything, her idiot brother Kankuro would have ended up blurting it out anyway. In a significantly less tactful manner and possibly in front of Gaara himself. Yes, she'd done the right thing. And secretly, Temari suspected that this girl, just maybe, this Naoko might be the one to end Gaara's suffering. His loneliness. At least, she hoped so.

Naoko remained at the table. She thought about Temari's words. Gaara had been alone, hated. He'd had to cope with the terror of the demon inside him, and he'd been punished for it. Every day of his life he was being punished for it. But he'd become a murderer. He had killed people for no reason other than he'd wanted to. Did this make him as bad as the people who'd killed her family, she wondered. The pain of her past came flooding back as strong as ever, and somehow, knowing Gaara's story made the pain fresher, as if an old wound had been opened anew. Tears stung her eyes. Gaara understood her pain and she understood his. Being completely alone in the world with no one to turn to… this was an experience they both had. And both had been haunted by a terrifying force: for Gaara, that terrifying force had been Shukaku, and for Naoko, it was the murderous wrath of the clan that had killed her own. And now, both of them tried desperately to hide that pain, acting tough in front of the people around them. Because the pain was still there, and they were still fighting it. We're fighting the same fight, on the same battlefield, but we never realised it, she thought.

Her thoughts returned to her own family, her own suffering. The memories washed over her and made her heart wrench in agony. She stumbled to her feet and proceeded to drift around the village aimlessly like a lost soul. In the midst of her inner turmoil, her eyes found a bar. Yeah, she could use a drink right now, she thought. She stepped inside and sat at the bar.

"A glass of sake, please".


	6. Confused Kazekage and a very drunk Naoko

Chapter 6: Confused Kazekage and a very drunk Naoko

It was about 8:30 in the evening, and for once, the Kazekage could finish early for the night. Well, informally anyway- of course, being Kazekage was a 24/7 job, but with all of his essential tasks completed he could allow himself a little time to relax.

He settled down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Temari walked in and ruffled his hair.

"Hey Gaara, how are you?"

"Hn". He briefly glanced up from the paper he was reading as Temari sat down at the table beside him.

"I was talking to Naoko today" she chirped. That caught his attention.

"And?" he said, trying not to seem too interested.

"And she seems like a nice girl. I think she likes you" Temari grinned.

The Kazekage felt a little excited after hearing this. She liked him? No one had ever really liked him before. He gazed into space, quietly wondering if he should confide in his big sister.

"Temari…how do you show someone that you…that you like them?" he asked.

Temari smiled "You mean as a friend? Or more than a friend?"

He shrugged, blushing a little. The blond kunoichi giggled. It wasn't often that Gaara got nervous like this, or asked for her advice, so she decided to make the most of this opportunity to bond with her little brother.

"Well…you should probably start by spending some time with the person. Talk to her, show her that you're interested. Maybe talk about yourself a little, too. Open up to her" she hinted.

Gaara frowned. He didn't like the sound of that last part. If Naoko knew the truth about him, she would almost certainly reject him, he thought. Temari guessed what he was thinking.

"Don't worry Gaara, I think she'll be more understanding than you think". She suddenly felt a bit guilty for telling Naoko about Gaara's past. Maybe she should have waited until Gaara felt ready to tell her himself.

"Maybe you could take her for a meal or show her around the village or something" Temari suggested.

Kankuro, having overheard the conversation from the doorway, decided to add a suggestion of his own.

"Or you could just get her drunk and bang her" he sniggered stupidly. Temari rolled her eyes and Gaara glared at him, blushing even more now.

"Some of us aren't perverts" he sniped.

"Yeah, Gaara's not desperate like you" Temari added.

Kankuro frowned. "Well sorry for trying to help"

"Thank God Gaara doesn't listen to your advice anyway" Temari snorted.

Gaara stood up and left the table. He'd rather let his two siblings argue amongst themselves. Making his way to the corridor, he decided to check in on Naoko. He thought about his sister's advice. Why not give it a try? He was outside Naoko's door. He took a deep breath and knocked. No answer. He tried again, but still nothing. Where the hell could she be, he wondered. She wouldn't still be working at this time, and it was dark outside.

He left the building and decided to look for her in the village. It was quiet as he paced the streets. Occasionally he passed a villager. They bowed respectfully. "Good evening Lord Kazekage sama." He nodded in reply and continued to look for the bothersome engineer. He was getting a little worried now. He passed a bar and glanced through the window, recognising the face he saw. It was Naoko. He stepped through the door. She was sat on a stool at the bar, swaying slightly. He approached her and she turned to him, chuckling.

"Damn. Busted" she said. She seemed to find this hilarious and started giggling uncontrollably. Gaara looked at the deluge of empty sake glasses in front of her.

"You're drunk"

"Just a little" she slurred. He sighed and frowned at her. She attempted to stand up but stumbled. Gaara caught her roughly around the waist and pulled her to her feet before she could fall. He had his arms firmly wrapped around her.

"Lord Kazekage! I had no idea you felt this way!" She declared loudly in a high pitched girly voice before erupting into a fit of giggles at her own joke. Gaara looked around the room. Every villager in the place was watching the situation with wide eyes. Great, he thought, talk about a public relations disaster.

"Come on" he growled at the drunk in his arms "I'm taking you home." He pulled her out of the door. Once outside, she pulled away from him. She tried to say something, but it came out in nonsense syllables. After a few attempts and a lot of laughing, she managed to speak.

"I'm quite capable of walking on my own" she said.

"Really" Gaara said sarcastically. He watched her meander along clumsily.

"You can't even walk straight"

"Yes I can" she proclaimed, veering sharply to the left and wobbling across the road, before stopping in front of a wall and laughing at it.

The Kazekage sighed. Temari had suggested showing Naoko around the village, but this wasn't exactly how Gaara had envisioned it.

"Come here" he said.

"I know where I'm going, silly" she said, going in completely the wrong direction.

He followed and grabbed her, turning her around. He put his arm around her waist to guide her back to the Council building, otherwise it would probably take them forever, with Naoko in this state. Naoko's hands found the Kazekage's robes and she clung to them. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder.

Gaara suddenly forgot his annoyance. The sensation of having a girl snuggled this closely against him was something new to him. His heart began to pound.

They finally got back to the Council building and up to Naoko's room. You can imagine the trouble Gaara had trying to get an insanely drunk Naoko up eight flights of stairs. But eventually they made it. Gaara guided her into her bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. She gazed up at him and he stared back at her blankly.

"Naoko, you're a pain" he sighed.

She suddenly reached up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down over her. The kiss was clumsy at first and it took Gaara completely by surprise. He'd never kissed anyone before. Her lips were soft against his and she opened her mouth. He panicked and wasn't sure what to do, so he did the same. She slowly slid her tongue into his mouth, exploring him. He knew he should probably stop this…but he just couldn't. He followed his instincts and held her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. Her mouth was hot and syrupy, and the taste of sake washed into Gaara's mouth. He caressed her tongue with his, savouring the sensation it gave him. She moaned softly into the kiss. His body tingled at the sound and he sensed himself stiffening in his boxers. He remembered the stupid advice Kankuro had given him only hours earlier. Suddenly, it didn't seem so stupid anymore. Gaara swept this thought out of his mind. He couldn't do that. It would be wrong. He had to stop this. He began to pull away when he heard voices.

"Huh? OH!…uhh…"

He turned to see Temari and Kankuro staring at him and Naoko in shock.

"Wow" Temari said, shocked at how fast her little brother had put her advice into action.

The Kazekage straightened up, embarrassed.

"What are you doing?" he snapped at them.

"W…We heard loud noises coming from the corridor, and then we saw Naoko's door wide open, so we came to check it out" Temari replied, still shocked.

"She's drunk" Gaara explained.

A wide smile spread across Kankuro's face.

"So you took my advice afterall!" Kankuro said.

"Shut up fool!" Temari hissed. She dragged him out of the room before he could say anything else stupid, and the two disappeared off back down the corridor, leaving Gaara and Naoko alone again.

"Why did you kiss me?" He asked, still stunned.

She smiled sweetly "Because I like you Gaara…we're the same"

He looked down at the floor, frowning. We're the same? What did she mean by that? He turned back to her to ask, but she was already asleep.

He looked at her. A small smile was still traced along her lips. Her arms were up on the pillow beside her head, exposing the soft skin on the underside of her wrists. Her breathing was delicate and steady.

The Kazekage shook his head. This girl was hopeless. He switched off the light and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. He made his way back to his own room to ponder the night's events. And that kiss.


	7. Hangover

Chapter 7: Hangover

The next morning, the Kazekage made his way to his office to file a report on a recent mission. He sat at his desk and skimmed through the documents, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't stop thinking about Naoko. His siblings had seriously taken the piss out of him this morning at breakfast, making jokes about the previous night's events.

He thought about the kiss. Naoko's soft lips. The way she moaned against his mouth. He allowed himself a small smile. It was the first time he'd felt truly close to someone, and from her reaction, she'd wanted to be close to him too. She wanted to be close to him. He repeated this thought to himself again and again, a warm feeling running through his body.

He firmly pushed the thoughts from his mind. She was drunk. It didn't mean anything. He didn't see the point in getting his hopes up only to have them crushed again.

The door slid open abruptly, without warning, and a very dishevelled looking Naoko sloped into the room rubbing her forehead.

"Ugh"

"It serves you right" Gaara sneered unsympathetically.

She ignored this and sat on his desk, taking the Kazekage's cup of coffee and drinking from it leisurely. Gaara watched her, amused.

"What happened last night?" she said, returning his now half-empty cup of coffee.

"You don't remember?"

"Not really. I can remember vague parts, but it's all a bit of a blur…I didn't do anything stupid, did I?" she murmured.

Gaara frowned. She didn't remember? Should he tell her?

"You kissed me."

There was a shocked silence. Then the engineer burst out laughing, nearly falling off the desk.

"I did? Oh dear! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed through fits of laughter.

The Kazekage watched, gauging her response. He felt relieved; she didn't seem ashamed or disgusted, or angry at him.

"So…was I any good?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

Gaara blushed a little under the gaze of her amused green eyes. He lifted the documents in front of his face and pretended to read them as if he hadn't heard her. He mocked a look of deep concentration, hoping he wouldn't have to answer that question.

"Oh no, you don't get away that easily!" she giggled, leaning in and pulling the documents away from his face. His eyes darted around, trying to find something to look at. Anything that wasn't Naoko.

"Well..?" she pressed.

He shuffled. "I suppose it was ok…" he mumbled, his eyes staring down at the desk.

Naoko watched him quietly, a satisfied smirk on her face. He'd enjoyed it! It was written all over his nervous face. She jumped down from the desk.

"Well, I should probably go find Yuki and get some work done…Afterall, that's what you're paying me for" She strolled over to the door.

"See ya later, Tiger" and with that she was gone.

Kankuro strolled through the corridors of the Council building. He was trying to decide what to have for lunch. Okonomiyaki, perhaps? Or maybe tekka sushi…he grinned greedily to himself.

He was on his way to the Kazekage's office to remind Gaara about the Festival of Allegiance. The Festival of Allegiance was a ceremonial event during which allied nations renewed their pledge of friendship to one another. It was held once a year as a sign of goodwill between the shinobi villages of Konoha and Suna. During the festival, the Kage of one nation would visit the other nation, and for the finale of the event, the two Kages would re-sign the contract of allegiance as a testament to their united strength and obligation to one another. Ninja from both nations would also attend the festivities. It was basically just an excuse for a big party. There would be stalls, food, fireworks, the whole thing. The event was held in Konoha the year before, which meant that the Hokage, Tsunade, would be coming to Suna this time around.

Kankuro loved the Festival of Allegiance. The food was great. He grinned again. Maybe he'd have okonomiyaki AND tekka sushi for lunch. He knocked on the Kazekage's door.

"Enter" came the familiar rumble.

Kankuro plodded into the room.

"Hey Gaara! How are you?" said the happy but hungry puppet master.

"I'm ok…and you?" Gaara replied.

Kankuro was stunned. Did Gaara just ask how I am? First time that's happened, he exclaimed inwardly.

"Woah, what's up with you? You seem like you're actually in a good mood. Temari always said you'd lighten up once you got a woman."

"Naoko's not my woman" Gaara scowled.

"Well I think sh…"

"Did you come here for a reason or are you just here to talk crap?" The Kazekage interrupted.

"Ok ok! Sorry!" Kankuro sulked "I just came to remind you about the Festival of Allegiance"

Of course! Gaara had almost forgotten about it. After Naoko's explosive arrival into Gaara's world, the Festival of Allegiance had slipped his mind. It almost seemed inferior to Naoko's stormy presence.

Kankuro continued "The Hokage will be arriving in a couple of days. She's organised a committee of elite ninja to take care of Konoha while she's here: Shizune, Ebisu and a couple of others"

"Hn"

"The villagers are preparing for the festivities" Kankuro paused, grinning as thoughts of food entered his mind. "There's a meeting today at 3 o clock about the security procedures for the event"

"Hn" Gaara frowned. He hated meetings.

"Ok then. I'm going for lunch! See ya!" Kankuro said excitedly, running out the door.

Naoko and Yuki were in the technical room, fixing a problem with the digital signal transmitter. It was afternoon. They were getting through the job quicker than they expected. Naoko was saddened at the thought of having to leave Suna soon. It meant leaving Gaara.

They heard footsteps coming from down the hall and before long, Temari and Kankuro appeared.

"Hey! You recovered from your hangover yet, Naoko?" Temari joked.

"Huh?" said Yuki.

"Oh, she didn't tell you? She got drunk last night and kissed Gaara"

"WHAT?!" Yuki cried, turning to Naoko with a look of comic horror.

Kankuro sniggered.

Naoko smiled proudly, "So what?"

Yuki continued to gape in disbelief.

"We've come to tell you about the festival" Temari continued. She explained the event to the two engineers.

After hearing the news, Naoko smiled. That meant that her uncle Kakashi might be coming to Suna with the three amigos. Yuki smiled sweetly. "Sounds like fun"

Kankuro grinned at Yuki and she blushed.  
"You can stick with me at the festival" he told her "I wouldn't want you getting lost or anything"

"If she sticks with YOU, she probably WILL get lost!" Temari snorted, "You don't know your elbow from your arsehole!"

Kankuro glared at his uncouth sister. Naoko laughed like a loon.

"So what are you girls going to wear to this thing?" Temari asked, turning back to the engineers.

Naoko and Yuki looked at each other. "Erm…well…"

Temari sighed in a motherly way.

"Well you can't go looking like THAT" she pointed at the girls' grubby attire. "We'll go shopping tomorrow!" she squealed.

"Don't go" Kankuro warned the two engineers "You might end up looking like THAT" he sneered, pointing at his sister.

After some swearing and a lot of violence, the siblings left the room. Naoko and Yuki went back to their work.  
Finally, Yuki broke the silence.

"You kissed him?!" she hissed.

"Apparently…I was drunk so I can't remember" Naoko replied nonchalantly.

Yuki tutted in sensible disapproval.

"Don't sweat it, Yuki. We'll be leaving soon anyway" Naoko murmured.

Yuki noticed the sadness in her friend's eyes, without a hint of humour or sarcasm. The only visible emotion on Naoko's face was an honest, pained seriousness. Yuki softened.

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Yes. I do. I like him more than I've ever liked anyone. He makes me feel…" she struggled to find the right words, a strained look on her face. "…I don't know…I've never felt this way before…"

Yuki put an arm around her friend.

"You don't want to leave do you?"

Naoko bowed her head. "No. But I don't have a choice. I have to keep running. If I don't, I'm dead. Because they'll never stop hunting me…" her voice trailed off.

"I know" Yuki whispered, hugging her friend tight.

A/N: Thanks everyone, I'm inspired by your reviews!


	8. The Stranger in the Dark

Chapter 8: The Stranger in the Dark

It was 11:30 at night. Naoko was sat outside on the wall at the edge of the balcony. She was going shopping tomorrow with Temari and Yuki. But right now she didn't care. She looked over the edge of the balcony to the ground far below. Her fear of heights seemed unimportant right now. It wouldn't take much, she thought. Just one jump. And then no more pain. No more thinking. No more running.

The night times were always the worst. There was no reason for her to put on an act. No one to be strong for. No one to put on a brave face for. For Naoko, the darkness brought memories, coldness and loneliness.

Her mind was clouded with thoughts of despair. Would she be running for the rest or her life, she wondered. Most of all, she didn't want to leave Gaara. How she wished her parents were still here. She longed to hear their voices, their advice. She looked up at the cold, pensive moon. "I wish you could meet him, mother. I think you'd like him. He's funny" she smiled as a tear traced it's way down her face.

Gaara stood at the door to the balcony, watching her. She hadn't noticed him yet. She was perched on the edge of the balcony, her knees tucked under her chin, her arms wrapped around herself. She looked so fragile. He noticed that her shoulders were shaking slightly. She was crying. He stepped outside.

"Naoko…"

She jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked over to him with wide, glistening eyes. Gaara walked over to her.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

Then she looked up at him with such a sadness that Gaara felt his heart break. She stood up, her face sharply creased with pain. Her eyes welled up with fresh tears.

"Oh Gaara…" she gasped, and the tears came flooding out.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to make her stop crying. He wanted to see her smile. She stood in front of him weakly, her shoulders hunched. She looked so vulnerable.

He reached out and took her in his arms. He wasn't entirely sure why… it was instinct. At first, her body stiffened and she stood against him rigidly, resisting the comfort she'd never had. But soon she fell against him. She clung to him fiercely, desperately. Her sobs wracked her body violently as she cried, burying her face into his chest. She managed to form words.

"They're going to kill me, Gaara"

She continued to cry. Gaara stood there, holding her. He was confused.

"Who? Who's going to kill you?" he whispered.

"Th…The clan that killed m…my family"

Her crying was becoming more violent now, and she sobbed and choked, shaking uncontrollably. Gaara couldn't bear it. He held her tighter, squeezing her helpless body against his. His arms were wrapped around her protectively, enveloping her in a cocoon of warmth. He buried his nose into her soft hair, breathing her in. He was getting desperate now. He couldn't stand to hear her cry like this. It was clawing at something within him and he hated it. He kissed her head softly; it was an affectionate gesture that was unfamiliar to him, but somehow it seemed like the right thing to do. He felt relieved when she responded positively, gripping him even tighter, so he continued to press soft kisses against her forehead, again and again.

After a while, she quietened down, weeping softly against him. Every so often, her body was wracked as a rogue sob escaped her, but soon she became exhausted and she couldn't cry anymore. She fell silent.

Gaara wondered how many nights Naoko had spent like this, crying on her own. Suddenly, it hit him hard- He realised just how much he cared about her. He never wanted to see her cry like this again. He'd do anything to make it better. He began to rock her gently.

Naoko felt safe with Gaara. She felt like a child in his arms. She savoured his warmth. Drawing in a shaky breath, she started to speak.

"It happened so long ago…" she began, speaking in hushed whispers. "There was a disagreement between my clan, the Imamura clan, and another clan, the Saito clan. It ended in warfare. The Saito clan leader's son, Korei, was killed. From that day forward, the head of the Saito clan pledged revenge against us… they killed my family… my father, my grandparents… everyone. I saw my mother being strangled to death."

She looked up at him, her face still moist with tears. He remained silent. His arms around her offered more comfort than words ever could.

"I ran away. And I've been running ever since. I'm the last of the Imamura clan. The Saito clan won't rest until I'm dead. That's why I move from place to place, never staying anywhere for too long. So they can't find me."

Gaara listened intently.

"They're going to kill me" she repeated.

Gaara felt a fierce surge of protective rage.

"I won't let them" he growled dangerously.

Naoko brought her hands up around his shoulders, caressing the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He felt himself dissolve at the feeling of her hands touching his skin. She laid her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating fast. She smiled.

"I know about your past Gaara" she said softly.

He froze.

"Temari told me everything. About Shukaku, your father, Yashamaru, all the killing… Everything"

He panicked. She looked at him and saw the fear in his eyes. He turned away from her. The silence stung as he awaited rejection. As if it would soften the blow, he closed his eyes, moonlit aquamarine irises disappearing as black lids closed tightly.

"Do you… think I'm a monster?" he whispered, ashamed.

"…No… I think you're amazing"

He turned back to her, stunned.

"We're the same Gaara" she echoed her words from the night before. "We understand each others' pain. The pain of being alone."

He looked at her and he knew she was right. They understood each other. And even after discovering the horrific things he'd done, and the demon he'd been, she still accepted him. Could it be that she liked him for who he was? Not the demon, or the legend or the rumours, but the human; the man called Gaara? In that moment he realised that he wouldn't mind giving up his loneliness if he could spend his life with someone who accepted him. Someone like Naoko.

Their eyes locked. He traced a timid finger gently up her neck to her chin, lifting her face up to his. They came closer, until their lips were touching so slightly they were barely in contact at all. His heart pounded in his ears. He parted his lips slightly, brushing his lips against hers with feather lightness. She closed her eyes. He kissed her. Softly at first. Hot tears were transferred from her cheeks to his. She brought her hands up to his face, stroking the hair back from his forehead. His stomach flipped as he realised he'd been aching to hold her like this. She wound her fingers into his fiery hair, pulling him in for a deeper kiss. He took the cue to open his mouth, his tongue meeting the warmth of hers. She tasted amazing…kind of sweet, he decided. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her roughly against him. She smiled into the kiss. He guessed that she could feel the hardness in his pants, and he blushed a little. He couldn't help it… He just couldn't seem to control THAT part of his body when Naoko was around.

The kiss intensified, becoming rougher, almost savage. They panted, lapping at each other's mouths, embracing desperately. Naoko didn't want it to end. Gaara sucked her tongue into his kiss and she moaned involuntarily. He silently congratulated himself. She nibbled his lower lip before breaking the kiss, a fine string of saliva still connecting them.

"Maybe you'll remember this time" he joked, smiling.

She chuckled softly, resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling into his neck. "I'll definitely remember this" she breathed seductively.

He shivered at the sound of her voice, her breath hot against his ear. She kissed the spot behind his earlobe. Then she took his earlobe in her mouth, experimentally. She sucked it, flicking it with her tongue, before biting it gently. The Kazekage let out a moan, quite by accident, and the deep sound vibrated through his throat to her lips. She continued to nibble. Gaara silently commanded himself to calm down. She was going to drive him crazy with this, he thought.

She planted a final slow kiss on his earlobe, before halting her attack. She looked at his pleasure filled face. His eyes were half closed and his mouth open slightly. She hugged him tightly. So tightly, it was as if she was trying to crush their bodies together until they merged as one. He held her, treasuring her.

"I'm tired" she finally announced.

He was disappointed. He didn't want it to end. He wanted it to go further. Much further. But he respected her wishes and walked her back to her room.

She stood at the door, gazing at him before reaching up to touch the kanji on his forehead.

"Love" she whispered, reading aloud. She gave him a final dazed smile and closed the door.

He remained frozen outside her door on the balcony, contemplating the meaning of what had just happened. He reached up and touched the same place Naoko had just touched. Love.

He slowly strolled back to his own room. His head was fuzzy.

"Love? Don't judge me by your standards. I love only myself. Fight only for myself."

His own words from years ago echoed through his mind. How wrong he'd been. He entered his room, closing the door behind him.

Far below, down in the village, a dark figure watched from the shadows. His eyes were transfixed on the couple embracing on the balcony. He watched as they disappeared into separate rooms. He'd seen everything.

He shuffled triumphantly and his Kumogakure headband glinted sharply in the moonlight.

He laughed in a low, hacking voice.

"Found you"

He turned to leave Suna, heading back to his clan headquarters in Kumogakure. Tokugawa, the head of the clan would be satisfied to know that the Imamura girl had finally been found.

The dark figure grimaced. From what he'd just witnessed, the girl now had a fearsome and dangerous ally…Sabaku no Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Tokugawa wouldn't be too happy about that.

The stranger slipped away into the darkness of the night.


	9. Shopping in Sunagakure!

"Are you ready girls? Time to shop!" Temari's musical voice chimed excitedly.

Yuki gave a huge smile. Naoko just rolled her eyes, standing casually with her hands in her pockets. She'd never been particularly girly, so this 'girlfriends bonding through shopping' thing was fairly new to her. She shrugged and followed the other two down the street.

It was a warm morning and the sand beneath their feet radiated the heat of the sun. Naoko found the desert village to be charming, with a character all of its own. Delicious and exotic fragrances floated on the air. Naoko smiled happily. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

Temari led the girls through the winding streets, engaged in incessant chatter with Yuki. Naoko was only half listening. They were talking about shoes, she deduced. She was too busy soaking up the aura of the village to concentrate on what they were saying. Naoko noticed the smell of fresh bread, and she was enticed by the aroma. She turned to see a small baker's shop. The baker and his wife were arranging some kind of sweet bread on the stall outside. The wife turned and saw Naoko as she passed. The woman smiled kindly. Naoko found herself smiling back. She turned and looked in the opposite direction, hearing the sound of children. They were engaged in some kind of ball game, erupting in excited squeals. Naoko saw a little girl with violet hair and dark eyes staring at her. The sweet little girl was clutching a doll and was waving at Naoko shyly. Naoko waggled her fingers in reply. The girl gave a cheeky grin before scampering off. Naoko chuckled to herself, suddenly realising that this was one of the kids who'd harassed her on the second day of her stay in Suna while she worked in the technical room of the Council building. She remembered that it was Gaara who scared them off. She chuckled again. Naoko was enchanted by this village. Even though it was nothing like Kumogakure, she felt at home here in Suna.

"We'll try this place first" Temari announced, stopping in front of a small but classy looking boutique. She pushed open the door and the three girls stepped inside.

"Oooh" exclaimed Yuki, open mouthed, her eyes darting around the shop. Beautiful garments were everywhere, some hung on rails or were arranged neatly on shelves, and others were proudly displayed on mannequins. There were all kinds of materials; lace, silk, taffeta. Yuki picked up a striking ruby red kimono, exquisitely embroidered with silk. The obi was a pearlescent cream colour.

"Why don't you try it on?" said Temari, pointing to the fitting rooms.

Naoko brushed her hands across the delicate neckline of a lace dress. It was her usual colour: black.

"It's a festival, not a funeral" Temari said, watching her. "Don't worry, we'll find you something really cute."

Temari and Yuki walked over to the fitting rooms and began fussing over the kimono, trying to work out the obi. Naoko drifted around the shop before noticing voices. It was the two shop assistants stood behind the counter. Naoko listened in to their conversation.

"He's so strong and handsome" said one of the shop assistants, a dreamy eyed girl. "And those eyes…oh I could just drown in them"

"Yeah, that guy just oozes sex" replied the other girl.

Naoko's eyes widened. They were talking about Gaara.

"The Kazekage once spoke to a friend of mine! Can you believe it? She's so lucky. She said she nearly passed out. Just imagine… sleeping with him!" the first girl said, sounding like she may very well pass out herself.

"Tell me about it! I'd give anything to get fucked by that guy!" said the second girl.

Naoko smiled. She hadn't realised how desired Gaara was. From what she'd just heard, it sounded like he was the heart throb of the whole village. She gave a smug smirk, remembering how he'd kissed her so passionately.

"Hi, can we help you?" said one of the shop assistants, having noticed Naoko staring at them. Naoko snapped out of her thoughts.

"Uh… no… I'm fine thanks" she said, swiftly turning away and snatching up a garment from a rail, pretending to admire it.

Temari and Yuki emerged from the fitting room looking pleased. Yuki had decided to buy the kimono. They went to the till to pay for it.

"Still not found anything you like, honey?" Temari asked. Naoko shook her head.

"Hmm" Temari said, sounding disappointed. She liked Naoko, and Gaara had seemed so much happier since she'd been here, and Temari wanted to keep it that way. She'd had enough of seeing her little brother miserable and alone. She was determined to get Gaara and Naoko together. Temari was desperate to find Naoko the perfect outfit for the festival… Gaara wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off her. Temari smiled at the cunning plan.

"Don't worry. I know another place down the street!" she announced, dragging a beaming Yuki and a disillusioned Naoko out the door.

The next shop was a little bigger. Naoko glanced around, her eyes settling on a flash of blue at the back of the shop. She walked over and picked it up.

"Oh I like that!" cried Temari, looking at the garment in Naoko's hands. It was a delicate dress, in a stunning shade of deep blue.

"Try it on!" cried Yuki, pulling a reluctant Naoko to the fitting rooms.

After a lot of rustling and some unsure murmurs, Naoko shyly emerged from behind the curtain.

"Wow!" gasped Yuki.

"Don't you think it's a little too short?" Naoko mumbled, tugging at the mid-thigh length hem.

"No. It's perfect" Temari smiled slyly.

The indigo material shone a deep royal blue where the sunlight fell upon it. Naoko adjusted a delicate dress strap.

"Well, ok. If you guys say so" she murmured. Naoko secretly adored the dress, but she wasn't used to looking so feminine.

They purchased the dress and left, stopping off somewhere for lunch before heading back to the Council building, bags in hand.

As they made their way through the building back to their rooms, they passed a congregation of people in the hall. They were emerging from a room. Naoko guessed they'd just had a meeting of some sort. In the midst of the commotion she spotted a flash of red hair. Gaara was stood with two Jonin, a stern look on his face. It looked like they were discussing something of great importance. The two Jonin were completely focused on the Kazekage's words, their respect for him was almost tangible. He briefly glanced to the side and saw Naoko. His oceanic eyes settled on her and he gave her a small, almost undetectable smile before returning his attention to the discussion. Naoko's heart jumped and she felt herself heat up. She headed to her room.

She puzzled over the look in Gaara's eyes. There was something different in the way he had just looked at her. At least, that's what she wanted to believe. She wanted to believe that it meant something. But Gaara was so enigmatic, so unreadable, that she had no idea how he felt. Did he feel the same way? Her mind silently begged, '… Please… please let him feel the same way about me…' Her thoughts wandered back to that precious, previous night. She'd been thinking about it all day. Never in her life had she felt so _connected_ to someone. To need someone so much, and be needed in return. He wanted to protect her, to look after her, and in spite of her pride and fiery 'I don't need anyone' attitude, she wanted to let him. Now, she felt she ached for him when he wasn't close by. The question remained: was she falling for him? The answer was a resounding no- she was not falling for him. She had already fallen.

Kumogakure, in the Land of Lightning.

A man made his way through the dark corridors of his clan headquarters. He'd just returned from Suna. A smirk rested harshly on his lips. He pushed open a door and entered a room.

"Lord Tokugawa" he greeted a figure sat behind the desk.

Tokugawa roused slightly. He was a large man with small eyes and a bald patch on his head. A perpetual film of perspiration was splotched thickly on his head and nose. He looked up at the visitor, grunting.

"Do you have any news for me?" he asked in a heavy voice.

"The Imamura girl has been found"

There were gasps from the other people around the room. Tokugawa smiled widely, exposing his yellowing teeth. The visitor continued.

"She's in Sunagakure… But… there's something you should know, Lord Tokugawa…" the man shifted uneasily.

"What is it?" Tokugawa asked roughly.

"It seems… she's gained the favour of the Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara."

Tokugawa flinched when he heard the name. Everyone had heard of Sabaku no Gaara. He was greatly feared and respected in every land.

"What do you mean she's 'gained his favour'?" Tokugawa pressed.

"Um… well…" he shuffled, unsure how to explain what he'd seen. "They've… become acquaintances, sir"

Tokugawa hushed the shocked whispers from around the room. He sat silently, deep in thought for a couple of minutes.

"So, the little snake has charmed him" he growled. "With Sabaku no Gaara involved it seems I have no choice but to deal with the matter myself. I'll take a small squad of three other ninja with me to Suna. The smaller the squad, the less likely we are to arouse suspicion. We wouldn't want the whole of Suna's shinobi intruding."

"Danna…" a soft voice called. A plump, kind looking woman approached. She was Tokugawa's wife.

"Please let it go" she began. "So many of our ninja have already died in the war against the Imamura clan. This girl is the last of the clan. Let her live. She has done us no wrong." She gently rested a hand on Tokugawa's shoulder. "Please, Danna. Just let it go"

He struck out at her, knocking her back violently against the wall. She let her body slide down the wall and rest on the ground as she tried to cope with the pain of the impact.

"Our son died at the hands of those bastards!" he boomed. "They dared to challenge the Saito clan. I will not rest until every one of them is dead! The Kekkei Genkai of the Imamura clan will be extinguished!"

The woman flinched at his obsessive, murderous intent. Tokugawa's eyes widened madly.

"I will have her head."


	10. Festival of Allegiance

Chapter 10: Festival of Allegiance

A/N: Ok, so, I'm sat at my desk eating sushi with chopsticks in one hand and a cigarette in the other (yes I am a chain smoker). I may have to resort to operating the computer keyboard with my feet. I've got a new job too… although it involves me having to wake up at four in the morning. It's not a pretty sight, believe me (yawns). I don't think there's a reason for me to tell you all this, hahaha. Sleep deprivation is kicking in. Thanks to all my reviewers, you make this amateur writer very happy. 'Tis much appreciated :D Anyhow, I'm done rambling now. On with the story…

Chapter 10: Festival of Allegiance (Warning- people of a prudish nature should beware of this chapter ;p )

It was early evening the day after the shopping trip, and the Festival of Allegiance had begun. The ceremonial re-signing of the Allegiance contract had been completed, and with the formalities out of the way, it was time for the party to begin.

Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi were among the Konoha shinobi attending the event. They were congregated at the centre of the village chatting to Kankuro. The turn out for the festival was immense this year: hundreds of people filled the streets.

The crowds parted as Gaara and Tsunade approached, having just finished the re-signing. The two Kage's were engrossed in polite conversation.

"HEY GAARA!! HOW'S IT GOING MAN? GREAT PARTY!!"

"Hn" Gaara rolled his eyes at the blond shinobi who'd interrupted his conversation. It was Naruto.

"Yo!" said Naruto, holding up a hand to high-five Gaara. Gaara just stared at it blankly.

"Lord Kazekage. It's good to see you" came a smooth voice. Gaara turned to see Kakashi standing with Sasuke, Sakura and Kankuro. He nodded to them, distracted.

"Where's Naoko?" he asked.

"Aah, so you've met my niece?" Kakashi answered, sharing an amused glance with Tsunade.

"Yes" Gaara replied simply.

"Is she behaving herself here in Suna? I hope she hasn't caused you too much trouble" Kakashi chuckled.

"No" Gaara said, as he continued to scan the crowds for any sign of Naoko. Kakashi and Tsunade looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Where the hell IS she?" cried Naruto, looking forward to seeing his friend again.

Kankuro scratched his head. "She's around here somewhere. She's with Temari and Yuki."

"Hey you guys!" called Temari's voice from beside the group of ninja. They greeted her as she approached with Yuki. Temari had a sly grin on her face. When she knew she had everyone's attention, she stepped aside casually to reveal an uncharacteristically shy looking Naoko. Everyone gasped at the sight of the feisty engineer looking so… beautiful. Even Sasuke looked impressed. Naoko's eyes immediately settled on the Kazekage. Gaara's mouth fell open. His wide, teal eyes looked her up and down. A gentle blush settled sweetly on Naoko's face as she sensed his eyes all over her body. Her ebony hair was swept up in an elegant style, exposing her high cheekbones. Two delicately curled locks of hair framed her face. The neckline of the stunning blue dress was low enough to reveal the precious skin of her neck and upper chest, but not so low as to be smutty. Gaara's eyes fell on the expanse of creamy skin. The dress embraced her slender body enticingly. His eyes travelled along the shapely curve of her hips to the hemline that ended halfway down her luscious thighs. He stared at the sculpted legs. His eyes found her face again. Her eyes were set like glittering jewels. Temari had insisted on applying Naoko's make-up, and the flick of black eyeliner rendered Naoko's eyes astonishing. Gaara gulped. She was a living work of art.

"Hi Gaara" she smiled.

He didn't answer. His mouth seemed to have forgotten how to form words. He simply stared at her, his mouth open and eyes wide before snapping to his senses and composing himself again. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

Everyone turned to see the Kazekage's reaction. He sensed their suspicious looks and frowned fiercely, staring at the floor to hide his intense blushing. Kakashi and Tsunade had the whole thing worked out. Gaara's reaction made it obvious.

"Interesting. Didn't see that one coming" Tsunade muttered dryly.

"WOAH NAOKO! YOU ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE A GIRL!" yelled Naruto dumbly. Naoko glared at him and a flash of electricity coursed towards him at lightning speed. Sasuke and Sakura jumped out of the way, alarmed. The surging current knocked Naruto to the floor.

"OUCH! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" he screamed, a crackle of static electricity still radiating from him as he struggled to his feet.

Naoko smirked. "It's my Kekkei Genkai"

"Where do you think I got the inspiration for Chidori, the Lightning Blade?" chuckled Kakashi.

"Well she might LOOK like a pretty girl, but she's still the same Naoko as always" Tsunade chimed.

Temari smiled smugly. Judging from Gaara's reaction, her plan was working. He was hypnotised. Temari watched as Gaara approached Naoko, touching the small of her back softly to steer her away from the crowd a little. He wanted her all to himself. Temari grinned.

Kakashi was also watching, a little uncomfortable. Naoko was his niece afterall, and Gaara's desire was obvious.

Meanwhile Kankuro had swiped Yuki away to get food. Temari sighed. Typical Kankuro, she thought, he goes straight for the food.

Gaara led Naoko a few meters away to sit on a bench beside a water fountain. He glowered as a passing male leered at Naoko.

"So…what do you think of my new look? I feel a bit stupid in this thing" she said, tugging at the indigo material that swathed her body.

"You look breathtaking"

Naoko was slightly shocked at his forwardness. She smiled, stroking some of his scarlet hair away from his forehead.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Lord Kazekage" she giggled, calling him by his title. It was true. She'd never seen him look so handsome.

Kakashi and Tsunade were stood nearby engaged in light conversation. Kakashi watched Naoko and Gaara. They were sitting extremely close, their bodies in contact. Naoko's hand rested on the Kazekage's chest. She giggled and he gave a little smirk as they shared a joke. The water in the fountain rippled and reflected, illuminating Naoko's face with a soft glow. She looks happy, Kakashi thought to himself. They both do.

"Hey guys!" came a loud shrill voice as Naruto charged tactlessly at the couple by the fountain. He wedged himself between them.

"Naruto" Gaara growled.

Naruto didn't hear. He gazed lovingly at the meal in his hands.

"So I take it you found the ramen stand" Naoko laughed, patting the blonde's head. He produced a pair of chopsticks as if by magic, and began munching happily.

"So… did Gaara tell you about the time I kicked his ass in battle?" he asked, cackling away.

Gaara groaned. Here we go again, he thought. Naoko looked at Gaara and then back at Naruto, her eyes full of disbelief.

"It's true, believe it!" cried Naruto.

Naoko looked at Gaara. "Is it true?"

"Hn" replied a very unimpressed looking Kazekage, who was now glaring at Naruto.

"Teeheehee… Old grumpy guts here was trying to kill Sakura and Sasuke, so I ripped him a new one" Naruto chuckled, oblivious to the look of death Gaara was giving him.

Naoko spluttered with laughter "Hahaha! Old grumpy guts! How fitting!" she teased, poking Gaara. He shuffled sulkily, having just suffered a serious blow to his pride. He still couldn't believe he'd been beaten by such a retard.

Speaking of retards, along came Kankuro, swamped by cartons of food. He had an arm around a very flushed Yuki, who by now looked quite tipsy.

"Hmm" Naoko eyed them suspiciously, "You two look cosy"

"Well you only live once!" Yuki giggled, looking up at Kankuro.

"Kankuro sensei!!" There was a thud and a yelp. Everyone turned to see who the new visitor was. An inebriated, clumsy looking Chuunin staggered to his feet, before displaying a goofy smile accompanied by a hiccup.

Kankuro groaned. "Oh no. This is one of my students" he told everyone. "ALRIGHT, WHO GAVE ALCOHOL TO THIS KLUTZ?" he shouted.

"Oh God, not him again" groaned Gaara.

'GET READY BOYS CUZ I'M ABOUT TO TAKE YOU PUSSIES DOWN!!" screeched a hoarse voice. It was Tsunade, who was engrossed in a game of Shogi with some of the locals. The Hokage was extremely rowdy when drunk, Naoko noted.

There was a loud bang, signalling the start of the firework display. Crowds of people gathered to watch. The group of eight shinobi and two engineers made their way to the display. Gaara and Naoko stood up front, followed by the others. Gaara slipped an arm around Naoko's slender waist, pulling her close to his side.

Sakura gasped "Look at them! They can't keep their hands off each other!"

Sasuke arched a brow.

"I wonder what she sees in HIM" Naruto grumbled, pissed off that someone like Gaara could get a girl and he couldn't.

"I think it's sweet" gasped Sakura, dreamily eyeing the Uchiha beside her.

Naoko watched the fireworks with wide eyes. They were beautiful. Gaara ignored them. He was looking at Naoko. He brought his lips to her ear.

"Lets go somewhere quieter" he whispered. Naoko shivered at the lust in his voice. She weaved her fingers through his and they slipped away silently through the crowds, headed for the Council building.

The rest of the group had become so engrossed in the firework display that they didn't notice that Gaara and Naoko had gone until after the fireworks were over.

"Where'd they go?" Tsunade asked Kakashi. She'd lost the game of shogi, by the way. Kakashi glanced up at the balcony of the Council building.

"Up there" he pointed. The two older ninja looked up to see Gaara and Naoko.

Naoko gazed out at the village from the balcony, Gaara at her side. Anxious thoughts about her fate began to cloud her mind again. Gaara saw the worry on her face. He moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his chest.

"Naoko… don't worry… not tonight." He began to trace soft kisses along the back of her neck. All her anxieties melted away into nothingness now that she was in his arms. He brought his lips against her ear and spoke in husky whispers.

"Naoko… I love you"

She gasped and turned around, utterly speechless. He didn't elaborate, or explain how he had come to this conclusion. He simply stared deep into her eyes, and without another word, he pulled her gently towards his room. She followed, knowing what this meant; what he wanted. She wanted it too.

Kakashi and Tsunade watched as the couple on the balcony retreated into the same room. Kakashi fidgeted with his headband uneasily, seeing his beloved niece with the man who'd once tried to kill his students. He knew that Gaara had changed, but he still held a slight grudge, and he was especially protective of Naoko. And now she had disappeared into Gaara's room… what were they doing in there? He grimaced.

"Let it go Kakashi" Tsunade told him. "She's an adult now. They both are. And they're in love."

Kakashi sighed. Maybe Tsunade was right. She was wiser than she looked.

Naoko and Gaara stood in the middle of Gaara's room, sharing a deep kiss. She gripped his hair tightly as he ran his hands all over her body in a hormonal frenzy. He backed over to the door, pulling Naoko with him, the kiss remaining unbroken. He reached his hand back to lock the door. We won't be interrupted this time, he thought.

They finally broke the kiss, gasping for breath. The heat radiating from Gaara's body filled Naoko with desire. He leaned in to kiss her again but she pulled away playfully, much to Gaara's frustration. She stepped back, reaching behind her to unzip the dress, letting it fall to the floor. Naoko was now dressed only in her underwear. Gaara's eyes focused on the voluptuous curve of her hips. His hands burned to grab her small waist, to attend to the pliant flesh of her thighs and buttocks. Her flushed, supple skin begged to be satisfied. Gaara's mouth watered at the sight. He gulped. Gaara wasn't naïve. He'd seen enough of his brother's dirty magazines lying around to know what came next.

"I… I've never done this before" he said.

"Neither have I." She reached out and pulled him towards the bed. "But I want you to be my first, Gaara"

This set his heart racing. Dirty thoughts filled his mind as he followed her to the bed willingly. She reached back to unclip her raven hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders. He grabbed handfuls of it, pushing her forcefully onto the bed so they were both kneeling on the mattress. He pulled her head back to expose the deliciously smooth skin of her neck, leaning over her arched body to devour her. He showered hot kisses down her throat, over her pulsepoint and along the curve of her neck towards her shoulder. Naoko's body quivered in his arms. He nipped the skin fervently, savouring every one of the desperate whimpers that fell from her sweet lips as if they were sacred. He found a sensitive spot and he worked on it, responding to Naoko's reactions of pleasure. Adrenaline pumped through Gaara's body, and this only intensified his rapture. He slipped his face down to her chest, sucking in mouthfuls of her warm flesh before noticing her bra. He scowled at it. After fiddling with the clasp he finally unhooked it, throwing it across the room. Naoko was dazed, intoxicated with lust. She arched her naked chest towards him as the wetness between her legs became hotter. He smoothed his hands over her breasts, before tentatively taking a soft nipple into his mouth. He felt it harden beneath his tongue. Naoko gasped sharply and he felt her shudder.

"Mmm…Gaara…"

He needed to hear it again. The way she moaned his name like that made his erection throb. He administered a rough suck to her nipple and she cried out. Her hands found his hair and she pulled. He must have felt the pain because he inhaled sharply and halted his attack.

There was a silence between them and they stared into each other's eyes. He grabbed her waist and threw her down on the bed. She giggled at his evident 'no bullshit' attitude towards sex, looking up at him from the flat of her back. She opened her legs temptingly. The blaze in Gaara's abdomen became an inferno when he saw his lover lying so submissively on his bed. He slid his hands up her legs to her hips and slipped off her underwear. She was now completely naked, but her nerves were forgotten. All she could think about was the man kneeling over her, how much she needed him and what he was about to do to her. Gaara's black rimmed eyes focused on the place between Naoko's legs. The soft, dark wisps of hair and her wet opening. He bit into his lip.

Naoko watched as the Kazekage began to disrobe, oh-so-slowly. Painfully slow, as if he was torturing her, making her wait. He slipped his top off, exposing the sculpted ivory of his muscular torso. The muscles rippled sublimely as he pulled the garment over his head, casually tossing it across the room. She stared at the strong, powerful arms, the well-built shoulders. He watched her intensely as he removed the clothing from the lower half of his body. Then he removed his boxers. Naoko let out an accidental moan of approval. He was big. She ran her eyes over the thick shaft and slightly moist, blunt head of his hard member. He reached down and pumped it slightly, knowing he was driving her wild. He'd always had a habit of toying with his victims in battle, and he decided to try out the same tactics here. He kept the pale, sea-green pools of his eyes locked on hers mercilessly. Naoko couldn't believe how sexy he was, the way he maintained eye contact like that. He was driving her over the edge and she reached out to touch him. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes in mock admonishment before grabbing her hands and pushing her back on the bed, pinning her arms against the pillow. She loved the way he took control. He hovered over her, watching her for a few seconds. Then he leaned down to kiss her. She brought her head up off the pillow to meet his lips, but he pulled away, mimicking her movements from earlier. She let out a frustrated whimper, much to Gaara's amusement. He gave a devilish smirk.

"Annoying, isn't it?" He said smoothly in a calm, deep voice.

He moved to lie beside her, kissing her swollen lips. She released quiet little mewls against his mouth and flinched as his hands touched her body. He slowly brushed his hand from her neck down between her breasts and over her toned abdomen, before sliding his fingers along the moist slit between her parted legs. She gasped as his fingers brushed against her swollen clitoris. He noted her reaction when he did this, and he pressed a finger down firmly on the hot bud. She cried out, grinding against his hand. He knew he'd hit the jackpot here. He began rubbing it causing her to moan and writhe. Her breaths were ragged and uneven. She reached out and took his hard member in her hands, loving how its soft, velvety skin felt against her fingertips. She began to work it in her hand. The Kazekage emitted a deep groan as Naoko touched parts of his body that, until now, had never before been touched by another human. He moved her hand away from his erection, not wanting to come prematurely. This was his first time afterall.

He moved his fingers a little lower to her now dripping entrance. He began to circle a strong finger around the opening. She tried to push the offending finger inside, but he resisted, swirling it torturously around the wanting hollow, refusing to enter. Desire pumped relentlessly through Naoko's body, making her head fuzzy. She felt feverish, tantalisingly agonised by the skilled, attentive way he tormented her. She knew what he was doing; he was experimenting, testing her limits. She moaned incoherently, hating him and loving him in equal measure for making her feel so helpless. Still he chose to ignore her begging and he continued to tease the tingling nerves at the entrance to her body. Finally, he slowly inserted his cool finger inside her warm, wet opening, eliciting a long, grateful moan from Naoko. She clung to him as he began to thrust it inside of her, steadily increasing his speed.

"… So warm…" he whispered, dazed.

He added a second finger, flexing them within her to find the spots that made her weak.

"G… Gaara" she whined, "I want you…"

"What do you want? You want me to fuck you? Is that what you want?" he growled the dirty words, his mind clouded with desire.

"Please" she whimpered, touching him. "Please… I need you inside me, now" she begged.

He co-operated with her pleading, settling himself between her parted thighs. She wrapped her arms around him and gritted her teeth. She knew this would hurt, but more than anything she wanted Gaara to be the one to do it. He gently eased his large manhood inside, stretching her. He hit some resistance and gave a swift thrust, breaking her virgin barrier. She cried out in white-hot pain, digging her nails into the baby-soft skin of his back. He stayed still inside her, feeling her tense up. She was trembling. He smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

They shared a soft kiss. He scattered a few affectionate kisses over her hot, flushed face and neck to try and soothe her. When he felt her relax he began to move his hips, administering slow, deep thrusts. She observed his movements lovingly, adoring the fierce look of pleasure on his face. Every stab of pain was dear to her.

Gaara let out a series of low, gutteral groans as he slid himself in and out of her. It took all he had to stop himself coming straight away. The hot, wet muscles deep within her contracted tightly around him, causing almost unbearable pleasure to overtake his virgin body, and he growled. The gorgeous sound vibrated through Naoko's body, thrilling her. The pain had subsided and was replaced by unadulterated pleasure. She moaned at the delicious sensation of her lover thrusting within her. Gaara sensed the impending gratification as her stunning body squeezed every inch of his sensitive length. He knew he was close to orgasm, and he pulled out of her before he could lose control. He was determined to bring Naoko to climax before he allowed himself to come.

He moved down and opened her legs, holding them back with his strong shinobi arms, giving him free access to her precious, glistening sex. He brought his face down and ran his tongue along it, licking the buttery-tasting wetness dripping from her. He swirled his hot tongue around the swollen bud he'd found earlier and sucked it hard into his mouth. Naoko screamed out and arched back, pushing her hips up towards him. The hot, humid temperature of the room did nothing to ease her burning skin. Gaara's tongue forced it's way into the folds of skin and burrowed into her clitoris, flicking the delicate, hyper-sensitive skin inside. Naoko ground herself against him in a frenzy, scraping her hands through the mess of his blood red hair until she was sure she couldn't take it anymore. Gaara smiled, feeling pleased with himself. He was obviously doing well.

When he sensed she was close, he settled on top of her again. He held her face to watch his as he entered her. He began thrusting hard, his body pressed down against hers. They were both sweating profusely now and their wet bodies slid against each other. She gripped him tightly and breathed in his musky scent. He looked into Naoko's eyes, his own eyes unguarded and vulnerable.

"Naoko… be mine" he gasped, panting hard.

She smoothed away the damp hair that was clinging to his forehead.

"Yes…always…" she unwittingly committed herself. She kissed his face, his neck, his jawline, any part of his skin that her lips could reach.

"Always." She whispered against his ear.

His thrusts became quicker, his pubic bone grinding against her clitoris. The wet sound of flesh slapping against flesh mingled with the other sounds that filled the room: the creaking of the bed, Naoko's voice crying out.

"Sabaku no Gaara…I'm so in love with you…"

This set him on fire, and he began fucking her hard. He gripped her in a way that would leave bruises. Their hips moved to the same rhythm as he filled her small, tight body. She released a final scream as she climaxed on him, hot liquid signalling her release as she contracted tightly around him. He locked his lips on hers and let himself go. Naoko felt his hips shudder. He came hard and deep inside of her, a strained cry escaping his mouth.

He collapsed on top of her, laying his head on her chest and panting hard. She brought her hands to his head and gently pulled his hair, massaging his scalp. His forehead was soaked with sweat. He felt himself relax and he pressed a soft, affectionate kiss against her inner wrist. Neither could believe that something could feel so good, and silently chastised themselves for not having done it sooner.

He pulled out and flopped down on the bed beside her, his crimson hair in chaotic disarray. The bedsheets were soaking wet with perspiration and bodily fluids. There were a few tiny smudges of blood from where Gaara had taken her virginity, and from the scratches on his back. He looked at her. He'd never seen her look so beautiful. Her creamy skin glowed and a radiant flush had settled on her face. She sighed heavily with satisfaction before looking over at him, her dazed green eyes full of love.

Gaara stood up wearily and walked across the room to switch off the light. Naoko smiled softly as she watched him, admiring the view of his taut ass and strong thighs. She felt his warm seed trickle out from between her legs and cherished the sensation.

He returned to the bed, lying down beside Naoko. He wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled into his warmth, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're still trembling" he whispered.

They shared a tender, lingering kiss, revelling in the aftermath of the love they'd just made to each other. Gaara pulled the sheets over them both. Naoko settled into his warm arms. She wanted to stay with him like this forever.

"I love you Gaara" she whispered in the dark.

"I love you more" he answered.

She chuckled softly. "Not possible."

She fell sound asleep. He stayed awake for a while, just watching her. He smoothed back her hair gently and fanned the silken obsidian strands out across the pillow. His heart tugged in his chest, causing a feeling to immerse him- a feeling not unlike pain, but much sweeter. He'd never been intimate like this before, and had never expected to have the chance. He had assumed he'd never know what it felt like to fall in love. His reasoning had been that no one would ever want him, and even if they did, he would not allow himself to be so defenceless. But somehow, this girl had healed every wound in his heart. She had loved him without fear, without doubts or judgement. She'd filled a void that he thought could never be filled. She completed him. Now he had the love he'd always so desperately craved, he would allow no one to take it away from him. He decided there and then that he would never allow anyone to harm her.


	11. Regret

A/N: Thanks for the reviews

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Some made me laugh my arse off and some made me go all warm and fuzzy, but all were very much appreciated :D Your Demon: just how 'little' is this little brother of yours? Eeek, I hope he's not too young, lmao, I may have destroyed his innocence :-s

Naoko's eyelids fluttered open. The cold, harsh light of morning roused her into reality. She sat up and gazed around the strange room, puzzled. This wasn't her room. Then she remembered. She looked at the bed and the empty space beside her. Gaara had already woken up and gone to work, she guessed.

She snuggled back into his bed, greedily bundling the covers around herself. The sheets smelled of him. She allowed a victorious smile to hijack her lips. She clenched her legs together, enjoying the satisfied soreness between them. Her heart swelled with love. She adored him. Everything about him: his loveable stoic, stern demeanour; the playfully seductive and dangerous temper that she loved to test; the secret smile that he reserved for her and her alone. She wanted nothing more than to stay by his side here in Suna.

But she couldn't. The smile disappeared from her face. An anxious furrow set itself between her brows. The realisation of what she'd done was painful. They'd fallen for each other, and she'd allowed it to happen. And very soon she'd have to leave. Regret stabbed at her heart.

"How the hell could I be so fucking stupid?!" she chastised herself out loud.

She stumbled out of bed and began searching Gaara's bedroom floor for last night's discarded clothes, before noticing that Gaara had already retrieved them and arranged them neatly on a chair. Tears began to sting her eyes. The familiar urge to run overtook her body. To run away and disappear. The way she'd always been running. She had to leave Suna as soon as possible before she could do any more damage, she thought to herself in a panic. Maybe then she'd be able to forget Gaara.

She pulled on her clothes hurriedly before dashing out of the Kazekage's room back to her own, praying she wouldn't be seen. Once she was back in her own room she quickly showered, erasing every trace of Gaara that remained on her body from the night before. She dressed in her usual black attire and grabbed her tools before racing out of the door, boots unlaced. She headed straight for the technical room where she knew Yuki would be.

"Good morning. Late as usual" Yuki sighed, noticing her friend in the doorway. She continued to chatter listlessly.

"Not much left to do here now. We'll probably finish today y'know. We just need to test the signal and then piece the whole thing back together agai…" her voice trailed off when she finally noticed the look on Naoko's face.

Naoko was stood in the doorway, doubled up as if in pain. Her hand gripped the door frame in a tight fist. Yuki could see the white bones of Naoko's knuckles through the strained skin.

"Naoko? What's wrong?" she asked with a concerned tone.

Naoko looked up. She was obviously fighting back tears.

"I love him Yuki…"

"Naoko, what did you do?" Yuki gasped nervously.

"Last night…we slept together…" and with that she broke down.

Yuki rushed to her friend and held her hand tightly, trying to comfort her heartbroken friend.

"But I can't stay here. We have to leave today" Naoko continued once she'd regained her composure.

Yuki understood and gave a nod. The two engineers solemnly set to work, finishing the job.

It was early evening and Gaara strolled through the corridors, having finished his day's work. Earlier on, those damn kids had somehow managed to infiltrate the Council building again, besieging a very confused secretary in her office for two hours, but even that hadn't dampened his mood. He chuckled silently to himself.

He was looking forward to spending some time with Naoko tonight. He halted outside her door and knocked.

"Who is it?" came her muffled, anxious voice from inside the room.

He opened the door and immediately froze. Naoko was on the floor, packing her things in a hurry. She looked up at him, and a wave of regret washed over her face.

"Gaara…" she whispered.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

She stood up, hoisting her rucksack onto her back. She bowed her head.

"We've finished the job here. I'm leaving. Yuki's going back to the hidden mist village to visit her family, and I'm going with her." She said quietly.

Gaara's eyes didn't move from her.

"You weren't going to tell me, were you?"

She kept her eyes on the floor.

"Goodbye, Gaara." She tried to push past him. He blocked her path.

"I won't let you leave" his voice rumbled.

She shoved him away harshly, earning her a deeply hurt look from Gaara's desperate eyes. She hated this. It broke her heart to do this to him.

"You can't leave me. I need you" he said selfishly. For once, he didn't care how weak he sounded.

"I have to go! If I stay, they'll find me here, and they'll kill me" she yelled.

"I won't let them. I'll protect you." He reasoned.

"I won't allow you to risk your life for me!" she cried, now irate.

"I DIDN'T HAVE A LIFE BEFORE I FOUND YOU!" He boomed.

She froze, taken back by his anger. His words were tearing her apart.

"Please, Gaara…" she begged.

He suddenly grabbed her and kissed her roughly, trying to shut her up. He didn't want to hear the words she was saying. She pulled away, tears escaping from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered, and turned away from him. He looked on helplessly as she disappeared down the corridor. She was gone.

He stood there for a few minutes, trying to comprehend what had just happened. There was a sharp tearing sensation ripping through his chest, as if she'd taken his heart with her when she left. He slowly walked back to his room.

He looked around the room, at the window, the chair, the bed.

"Listen up, sonny boy, you do your job and leave us to do ours"

"Hey Tiger"

"So this is your weapon? Very clever. Now put me down"

"I'm quite capable of walking on my own."

"Sabaku no Gaara…I'm so in love with you…"

"Always."

Memories of her words echoed through his head. He turned and saw the mirror on the wall beside him. He looked at the eyes of his reflection. Eyes full of hate. He looked at the kanji on his forehead. Love. He lashed out violently and smashed the mirror with one fist.

A/N: Leave a review! It makes all the work even more worthwhile!


	12. TwentyFour Hours

Gaara sat silently at the desk in his bedroom. Every muscle in his body was tensed, making his posture stiff. His shoulders were hunched. He stared vacantly out of the window, not focussing on anything in particular. There were high winds this evening, and powerful gusts ripped through the empty streets, howling and screaming. A sandstorm was on its way.

It had been a day since Naoko had left Suna. Twenty-four hours almost exact to the minute. It had given Gaara enough time to realise that this was real. Naoko meant what she said. She'd left, and she wouldn't be coming back. Up until this point he'd dared to keep a little hope that maybe she would realise her mistake and return, but now, after 24 hours, he knew his hopes were in vain. She'd be miles away by now. She'd probably crossed the border and left the Land of Wind completely.

Gaara hadn't slept at all. He'd spent his working hours locked away in his office, avoiding human contact as much as he could. Temari had insisted on stopping by a couple of times and tried desperately to comfort her little brother. But it was hopeless. A wall had gone up around him, separating him from the rest of the world and her words couldn't get through to him. The only one who could bring him back was Naoko, and she was long gone. Gaara was impossible to reason with in the depths of his grief. He saw Temari's efforts to comfort him as a nuisance. He'd returned to his cold, brooding persona, and a quiet, deadly anger sat dormant beneath his seemingly emotionless surface. It frightened Temari. She hadn't seen her little brother like this since Yashamaru's betrayal.

Naoko had left behind one of her tools in her rush to leave Suna. A small screwdriver. It was now sat on Gaara's desk. He stared at it. He tried to organise his emotions. Love, hate, pain, worry, confusion and helplessness all formed a surging torrent in his chest, each emotion battling the others for dominance. Needless to say it hurt. It was the most sickening pain Gaara could ever have imagined, and one that his sand couldn't protect him from. He'd managed to block it out somewhat throughout the day, but now that he was alone in his room, the emotions resumed their merciless attack on his exhausted psyche.

"We're the same, Gaara…"

That's what she'd said. If that was true, then surely she must be suffering as much as he was right now. One half of his mind flinched at that thought, hating the idea of Naoko suffering all on her own, and he yearned to comfort her. The other half of his mind launched its counter attack: It was her own fault, she was to blame. He hoped she was suffering unbearably for what she'd done to him. He knew that she would have been risking a lot if she'd stayed in Suna. He understood her fear. He understood it, but he could not accept it.

He'd fallen hard for her. In a matter of days the feeling had ambushed him, capturing his heart off guard in a vice-like grip. And now she'd disappeared just as quickly as she'd arrived. He was left bewildered, stunned at how fast love could take hold before leaving him stranded in the eerie silence and devastation left in its wake. He cursed himself for his stupidity, his vulnerability, his recklessness. He'd been careless and taken a risk. It was so out of character for him. He regretted it bitterly and yet, he'd give anything to have her back. Anything.

His thoughts turned to Yashamaru.

"Wounds of the heart are troublesome. They are extremely slow to heal. Unlike wounds of the body, there are no medicines that can cure them…and sometimes they never heal…

…There is just one thing that can heal the wounds of the heart, but you can only receive it from someone else…Its Love, Gaara."

Gaara pondered Yashamaru's words. You fucking liar Yashamaru, he thought. You lied. Yashamaru had said love was supposed to mend a broken heart, not create one. A tear rolled down Gaara's pale cheek. It was the first tear to escape him in years. He smudged it away bitterly.

He heard the bedroom door open behind him. He didn't turn around. He knew it was Temari, interfering again.

"Go away Temari" he growled.

Soft footsteps padded across the carpet towards him. A gentle hand stroked his hair.

"I SAID FUCK OFF"

The hands moved to his shoulders and gave a little squeeze.

"I couldn't do it, Gaara. I couldn't leave."

His body jolted. He knew that voice. It wasn't Temari's. It was Naoko's.

He froze, not wanting to turn around in case he was mistaken. Maybe it was just his imagination. Nevertheless, he slowly turned his head. The small body, the tangled black hair, the anxious green eyes: It was Naoko. His heart seemed to stop beating. He couldn't believe his eyes. She'd come back.

His first impulse was to embrace her. His second was to reject her. Not knowing which impulse to follow, he stood up, turning around to face her. She looked terrible. Tears stained her face, and sand stuck to the moistness. Her clothes were torn and there were cuts and scratches laced over the exposed soft skin. One knee was badly grazed.

"I ran all the way back here to be with you. I'm so sorry Gaara. I'm so sorry I even thought of leaving. Please forgive me. I need you so much…" her voice trailed off to a whisper as she saw the Kazekage's blank expression.

She couldn't bear it. She ran at him, burrowing into him so forcefully that he almost fell backwards. She pulled his hands up around her, but as soon as she let go they fell back to his sides limply. She understood his reluctance. Afterall, she'd abandoned him. She looked up at him.

"Please Gaara. Even if they find me and…k…kill me…It doesn't matter. I don't care anymore. I love you."

She pressed her face against him and cried. Cried with regret for hurting him so. Cried with exhaustion.

He softened. She'd come back to him. She was risking her life to be with him. He looked down at her sore, trembling body. He couldn't punish her anymore. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I hate you" he whispered, holding her tight.

A little while passed, and they were now in the bathroom. Naoko was perched on the edge of the bathtub and Gaara was knelt down tending to her wounds. He gently applied a bandage to her gashed knee.

"I didn't think you'd come back" he said quietly.

"When you spend your whole life fearing death, you never _really _live" she explained. "But then I met you, and I realised I wanted to live. And I couldn't run away from that…from you"

He suddenly felt a little guilty for expecting her to stay with him at the risk of her life. He grimaced. It was his absolute duty to protect her at all costs. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her. He stood up and effortlessly lifted the exhausted engineer into his arms, carrying her into the bedroom. He laid her down gently on the bed.

"I've never known anyone who causes me as much stress as you do. Even Shukaku was easier to handle." He grumbled.

She giggled. "But you're glad I'm back?"

He switched off the light before climbing into bed with her.

"Do you need to ask?" he replied.

She smiled as they settled into a warm embrace beneath the bedsheets.

"I wonder…can I trust you?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Of course you can trust me" she said, sounding a little hurt.

"So you won't go disappearing off somewhere?" he continued.

"No"

"No more running?"

"No more running. I promise."

He pulled her into a soft kiss.

"Just to warn you, if you do, it won't just be the Saito clan hunting you down."

She laughed at his threat.

"I mean it. They'll be the least of your worries."

"Believe me, I know…I've seen you when you're angry" she joked.

Gaara had intended to go straight to sleep- afterall, having not slept, he was just as exhausted as Naoko- but from the way she was stroking his body he realised she had other ideas. Not that he objected of course. In fact, he willingly obliged. He made love tenderly to his beloved runaway before settling into a peaceful sleep. After a ridiculous 24 hours, Naoko was back where she should be- in his arms.


	13. Silent Night

Chapter 13: Silent Night

A week passed by, and Naoko became more and more withdrawn. She'd never faced her fear before, only fled from it. And yet here she was, preparing to face that fear. She realised how hopeless the situation was, and resigned herself to her bleak fate. She felt like she was simply waiting for death, and with every day that passed, her terror became more real. This wasn't a dream anymore. It wasn't a fairytale. The idea that her prince would save her and they'd live happily ever after seemed ridiculous now. This was real. There was nothing Naoko could do to escape it.

Her nightmares had become more vivid, so vivid that when the part came where her mother was strangled, Naoko felt those murderous hands around her own neck. She could feel the choking, the squeezing, the desperation for air. The sharp stabbing pains in her oxygen-deprived chest and the feeling of her lungs collapsing in on themselves. She would wake unable to breathe, screaming and drenched in sweat. It took her a few minutes to realise where she was, and that for now she was safe. It took her a few minutes to realise that the strong arms wrapped around her were Gaara's.

He did his best to comfort her, but she was almost impossible to reach in the depths of her panic. He'd look into her eyes, and she'd look back, but he knew she wasn't there. Her eyes would stare vacantly, not comprehending his words, while the real Naoko was somewhere within her mind, buried in turmoil and chaos. Her ears could hear his words, but her mind wasn't listening. It was too embroiled in despair. Gaara understood this kind of fear. He knew it well. He remembered the assassination attempts ordered by his own father. The first few attempts had left the 6-year-old Gaara petrified beyond words. The knowledge that people were seeking to extinguish his existence caused him to live in fear. It was this fear that had eventually driven him over the edge, turning him into a monster.

Fear is a powerful thing. It can transform a person's own anatomy into a torture chamber. It can turn even the steadiest person into a wreck, driving them to psychotic extremes in order to escape it. But it can't be escaped. It exists within the mind, within the awkward vehicle that is the human body. And a person can't escape their own body.

Even so, people try to overcome that fear. Some endeavour to BECOME the thing that is feared, perpetrating deluded and violent actions, the way Gaara did. Others simply wither away from the world, like a flower that is choked by a vine. This is what Naoko did.

Because of her nightmares, she rarely slept at night anymore, preferring instead to nap in the daylight hours when she knew she was safe. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the Saito clan decided to strike, and the knowledge of this weighed down on her heavily. It was a time bomb. Sometimes in the dead of night Naoko could almost hear it ticking.

Gaara began retreating into the Suna library, reading up on the history of the Saito clan: their strengths, their weaknesses, their battle tactics. He knew that the time would come when he would have to fight them. And he knew it would be soon. There was no point in negotiating with the Land of Lightning. Relations between the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning weren't particularly friendly anyway, so it was more or less out of the question. Gaara would have to rely on his shinobi skills, not his political skills.

He began spending his lunch breaks training Naoko, partly in an effort to calm her fears, and partly to put his own mind at ease. It comforted him a little to know that she had some self-defense skills and wouldn't be completely helpless in battle. Naoko enjoyed the training sessions with Gaara. They allowed her to forget the mess she was in. She became her old self again, and had fun. She found Gaara to be a firm teacher, but not unkind. He trained her hard, and it had been 8 years since her days as a ninja, so it took her a while to get used to it again. Her respect and admiration for Gaara grew as she began to realise what a powerful ninja he actually was. She began calling him 'Sensei', much to her own amusement.

Today they were working on chakra control. Gaara was teaching her how to use her Kekkei Genkai as a weapon. Afterall, if anyone knew how to use chakra to control an external substance, it was Gaara. He was used to controlling sand, but roughly the same principal was involved in controlling electrons, the way Naoko did. The training was going well today and Gaara was impressed at her progress. She was a fast learner when it came to chakra control. Gaara untied his gourd and left it rested on the floor. He turned away to eat a rushed lunch.

"Thank God this is going better than yesterday. Your taijutsu was abysmal" he sneered.

"SAND COFFIN!!"

Gaara turned to see Naoko sat on the floor with her arms and legs wrapped around the gourd, cradling it. There was a look of extreme concentration on her face and one hand was outstretched towards Gaara. He stared at her blankly before sarcastically raising an eyebrow. God, she was a moron sometimes.

"Damn, it didn't work" she whimpered, sounding defeated.

He chuckled to himself, amused at her feeble attempt to imitate him. He sat down on the ground to eat his lunch.

"The sand only responds to me" he said smugly.

Naoko sidled up next to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Come on Sensei, teach me how to do it" she begged.

"No."

"But whyyy?"

"Because"

"Pleeeaase?"

"No…now go run a hundred laps"

"Fuck you" she said impetuously, stealing a rice ball.

After lunch it was time for Gaara to get back to work. He was about to stand up when Naoko grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down. She knelt over him and claimed his lips in a slow, sensual kiss. Meanwhile, one of her hands wondered down his body, eventually settling on his crotch. He felt his balls being expertly massaged, and his body responded immediately. Before he could protest, he felt his newly erect member being unclothed and taken into Naoko's hot mouth. She traced a few firm licks along the length before swirling a wet tongue around the sensitive tip, sucking it hard. Gaara's hips twitched and buckled upwards involuntarily. She raised her head and smiled.

"I may be abysmal at taijutsu, but I know I'm good at this…right, Sensei?" she purred.

She went back to her task, sucking him deeply, hungrily. She emitted a soft moan that vibrated through her soft lips and against his throbbing arousal.

"Mmmnn… Naoko…we shouldn't do this here…" he glanced frantically around the training ground. It was deserted for now. They'd fucked on his desk in his office a few times before, which was moderately risky, but he always locked the door so they wouldn't be disturbed. If someone approached now, though, there would be no way to hide what they were upto. Not here, out in the open in plain view.

She ignored him and continued, looking up into his smouldering eyes. He watched her head bob gently as her hands and mouth worked on him. He allowed her to continue. Afterall, no one would notice if he was a few minutes late getting back to work, he decided. He smoothed her hair out of the way so he could watch. He knew he was powerless here.

That evening Naoko joined the Sabakus for dinner, as usual. She'd more or less been accepted as part of the family. Naoko and Temari prepared the meal while Kankuro hung around the kitchen cluelessly, getting in the way and trying to swipe unattended scraps of food like a human dustbin. Gaara kept out of the way. He'd never been much of a cook, and he didn't intend to start now.

They sat down to eat, engaged in small talk.

"So, how's the training going, Naoko?" Temari piped up.

"Oh, y'know, up and down…But I think I'm getting used to the in's and out's of it now". Naoko had to bite her tongue to keep from smirking at her cryptic joke. Temari and Kankuro were oblivious but Gaara had figured it out and he shifted nervously. He didn't want anyone to know he'd been screwing on the job. It wasn't very professional.

"I like having you here, Naoko. Gaara doesn't hit me as much when you're around" Kankuro announced.

After the meal, Gaara and Naoko retired to Gaara's room. They stayed up late, just talking. Over the past week Naoko had found Gaara to be surprisingly eloquent and articulate, and very intelligent. She loved to hear him talk, about his thoughts, his opinions, his hopes. He was very witty, albeit almost unintentionally, and he made her laugh. Every day she fell more and more in love with him.

Eventually, they tired of conversation and for the first time in days Naoko fell into a deep sleep.

The night was deadly silent.


	14. Infinite Darkness

Chapter 14: Infinite Darkness

Naoko stirred. She awakened, yawning and sitting up clumsily. It was still dark. She glanced at the slumbering form beside her. Her lover, her best friend. Her reason to fight. Moonlight streamed through the window, drenching his pale body with an ethereal glow. A sleepy smile traced its way along Naoko's lips. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. He was fast asleep, and once Gaara was asleep, that was it- he was out cold until morning. He was near impossible to wake. An occasional snore escaped from him softly. Naoko allowed a quiet little chuckle to emerge in the back of her throat. She glanced at the clock, its face illuminated by lunar rays. She squinted to decipher the time. It was just past 3:30 in the morning. Everything was completely silent. The absolute absence of sound pounded her ears so heavily it was almost audible. The only noise was the very occasional snore from the sleeping redhead beside her. She shuffled to the edge of the bed and draped her feet over the side until they found the floor. She slipped out from beneath the covers and stood up, stretching. With light steps she made her way across the room, grabbing a couple of random items of clothing to cover her naked form. She pulled the results of her garment lottery over her body. A pair of her sweatpants and a t-shirt of Gaara's. The cold air was refreshing against her body and it was nice to get out of bed and stretch a bit.

She yawned again and reached up high, working out the sleep-induced rigidity from her arms and shoulders. Damn, it felt good. She stretched forward and flexed her fingers in front of her. They looked strange in the silver-laced darkness. Everything looked strange. Things just…seemed different somehow. She shrugged off her unfounded, surreal caution. She turned to walk back to the bed, but froze, mid-step. She had seen something move in the dark.

She broke out in a sweat. Her pulse thudded deafeningly in her temples. Her lips silently mouthed the half-formed words: Please, no. Again and again, please no, please no, please no. She gulped and slowly turned to the figure beside her.

A mirror. It was her own reflection. She exhaled, for once relieved by her stupidity. The small hours were playing sinister mind games with her. She gazed at the ghostly girl in the glass. Her eyes were still dazed and hazy from sleep. The girl in the mirror smirked darkly. It frightened Naoko, until she realised she was smirking too. It was weird. She began to wonder which Naoko was the reflection. The girl raised her hand as Naoko raised hers. A shiver coursed through her body sharply. Cut it out, Naoko, she thought to herself. It's just a reflection.

She slowly came to the realisation that there was a faint tapping noise coming from outside on the balcony. It sounded vaguely like the pecking of a bird or some other creature. Naoko walked across to the door that led outside. She peered through the glass but couldn't see any birds. She turned to look back at the mirror to make sure the other girl wasn't still there. She had the creepiest feeling that she was being watched. The tapping noise continued, although it was fainter now. Her curiosity nagged at her and she eventually surrendered, opening the door and sticking her head outside. The tapping had stopped. She stepped out onto the balcony, bare foot. There was nothing here. She grimaced, a little puzzled. She was sure she'd heard it…maybe it was just her imagination. She took a few more steps, taking her further away from the open door behind her. She shivered in the freezing night air and bundled Gaara's loose t-shirt tightly around her body. She smiled. There was nothing out here, nothing suspicious at all.

Then she heard a frightening sound. The sound of the door closing behind her. She froze solid, too terrified to turn around. Then she heard the voice.

"Infinite darkness jutsu"

Naoko was plunged into darkness. Complete darkness. She was enveloped by thick black. She couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face. She panicked. Genjutsu. She tried to find her voice to scream, to wake Gaara, but she felt something cover her mouth tightly. Some kind of material forced its way hard into her mouth, gagging her, until she felt as if her jaw was being pried apart. She screamed full force, but the only audible sound was a muffled whimper. She felt hands roughly tying the gag at the back of her head, wrenching out her hair painfully.

"Now now, we wouldn't want you waking your boyfriend, would we? That would just spoil our fun…" a hoarse voice whispered.

Naoko couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. At first it sounded as if it was coming from her left, then her right. She still couldn't see a thing. She began to weep. A strong arm grabbed her hair, wrenching her head up.

"Allow me to introduce myself…I am Tokugawa Saito" he laughed cruelly. "You weep just like your pitiful mother did before she died."

Something hard hit her in the face and she heard her cheek bone crack gruesomely. The pain seared through her skull unbearably. Another blow, this time to her stomach. She doubled up in agony and fell to the floor. She crawled pathetically, trying to get away, but she didn't know which direction she was going. She tried desperately to cry out, but the sound was muffled. It was hopeless. She knew Gaara couldn't hear her. She knew he wouldn't be coming to save her.

An anonymous kick slammed into her body, knocking her flat. Shooting pains sliced up her spine. She heard that terrifying voice again, this time it was right beside her left ear.

"And now, Imamura, you join your wretched family"

She curled up and waited for the deathblow.

It never came. Instead, she heard a thud and a yelp. The genjutsu instantly wore off. She looked up from her place on the floor and gasped. On the ground in front of her face there was a boot. She whined in fear. Her eyes traveled from the boot and up a leg. She could make out the shape of a man with a large object on his back. The moon returned from behind a cloud, lending some light to the view. Her eyes found a flash of red hair. It was Gaara.

She crawled closer, trying to speak before remembering the gag. She tugged at his leg weakly. He looked down at her and pulled her up, quickly untying the gag. She winced in pain as he touched her face and he withdrew his hand. It was covered in blood. Naoko gasped. She hadn't realised she was bleeding. Gaara looked at her with fierce concern.

"Stay down" he ordered.

She quickly returned to the floor. A crumpled figure across the balcony rose to his feet. The man stepped forward, laughing ominously.

"So, Gaara…you are here" he sneered.

"I know who you are Tokugawa. If you value your life you will run" came Gaara's sinister reply.

Naoko looked up at Gaara. He stood firm and confident. The gourd was strapped to his bare back- he'd had no time to put on a shirt. His arms were folded arrogantly across his bare chest. His eyes were narrowed in a death-like glare. He looked terrifying. There was a cold and dangerous fire in his feral eyes that cast a clear warning: do not challenge me. His aura was simply dripping with animalistic violence, justifying his fearsome reputation.

Three dark figures emerged from the shadows. That made four attackers. Gaara was both outnumbered and surrounded. Naoko feared for his safety. She gauged his response to the situation. He was completely unfazed.

In one sudden movement two of the Kumogakure ninja ran at Gaara simultaneously. Naoko gasped as Gaara calmly raised one hand. He growled a command.

"Sand Coffin"

A huge volume of sand swept towards the attackers, completely engulfing them. Gaara clenched his fist. Naoko heard the sound of agonised screams being swallowed by brutal crushing. Blood and sand rained down on her.

Gaara kept his menacing eyes locked on Tokugawa the whole time. He was showcasing his effortless power, daring the Saito clan leader to continue.

Tokugawa stood still, obviously taken back by Gaara's unashamed brutality. It was one thing to read about the Kazekage's jutsu, but to see it up close in real life added a new and terrifying dimension. The Saito clan leader looked deep in thought, his small eyes squinted and darted around as he planned his next move. He gave a sharp nod to the remaining dark figure who then launched a maelstrom of kunai knives. Gaara waited patiently for his sand to defend him, before realising that the knives weren't headed for him…they were slicing straight towards Naoko.

He flung out his arm and the sand formed a hard wall around her just in time. A blade ricocheted off the hardened sand and sliced through the flesh of Gaara's right arm. He winced and let out a ferocious growl. He hadn't yet had time to set his sand armour in place. Hot blood trickled freely from the wound.

"Gaara!" Naoko screamed. He turned to her.

"Run Naoko…find Temari and Kankuro" he ordered in a course snarl.

She stumbled to her feet and set off running towards the far end of the balcony. Temari's room was still a long way off. Gaara quickly established his sand armour, pending his fight with Tokugawa. The other ninja slipped back into the shadows.

Naoko ran as fast as her trembling legs could take her. The pain in her body was unrelenting and she panicked, not knowing the extent of the damage inflicted upon her. She was still about a hundred meters away from Temari's room. Heavy footsteps from behind coursed rapidly towards her. She swerved as a hand grabbed her leg and pulled her backwards. She tumbled to the ground as the Kumogakure ninja dragged her by her leg. Naoko focused her strength and sent a powerful current of electricity through her body. The ninja screamed in pain and let go, clasping his burnt hand.

"Little Bitch!" he cried.

She set off running again, getting closer to her destination. With a quick flick of her head she turned to look behind her. The ninja had disappeared. Naoko halted and cautiously backed into the shadows, not knowing where her enemy was. She peered into the darkness either side of her, but he wasn't there. Suddenly a hand sprang out from behind her and clamped firmly over her mouth. She tried to scream.

"Sshh, Naoko. It's ok. It's me" Temari's voice said in a comforting tone.

"Temari! They're here…" Naoko sobbed.

"I know, Kankuro's gone for back up"

"Gaara…"

"It's ok, Naoko. Gaara can handle this" Temari interrupted. "We need to get you out of here"

At that moment, the Kumogakure ninja swooped down from his hiding place. His hand released a shuriken at incredible speed. However, Temari was just as fast. With one swift almost undetectable movement, she deflected the shuriken with a flick of her fan.

"Wind scythe jutsu!" she screamed.

A torrent of cutting airwaves swept towards the attacker. With a series of backflips he avoided the jutsu. Naoko blinked. He was gone. Disappeared.

Temari paced forward, pulling Naoko closely behind her. She glanced around frantically.

"Where the hell did he go?!" Temari screeched.

Below them, right beneath their feet, the ninja waited. He used his chakra to secure his feet to the underside of the balcony. When he sensed the time was right, he resumed his attack.

Naoko screamed as the ninja launched himself up over the edge of the balcony and straight towards her. Something in his hand gleamed. A kunai knife. The blade pierced Naoko's upper thigh. The white-hot pain seared her nerves and she wretched, almost passing out.

Temari sprang to action. She flicked her fan again, and this time it worked. The ninja didn't dodge quickly enough, and he was swept up in the violent whirlwind. Cuts and gashes ripped through his body and he tumbled off the edge of the balcony. There was a sickening crack as his limp body hit the ground far below.

"Gotcha!" Temari whooped victoriously.

She turned to help Naoko to her feet. The deep wound in her leg was bleeding heavily.

"Where the fuck is Kankuro?!" Temari snapped.

She pulled Naoko towards the door that led into the building. It was roughly 50 meters away. Naoko tried to walk, but her leg refused to function and she fell to the floor again.

Meanwhile, Gaara battled the Saito clan leader. To start with, Gaara had no trouble shielding himself from Tokugawa's attacks, but as the fight continued, Tokugawa began to display an incredible speed almost equal to that of Rock Lee. The Saito clan leader was too quick for Gaara's sand and evaded any attack that Gaara threw at him. This wasn't good. Gaara knew that his greatest weakness was speed.

He pummeled the sand at Tokugawa systematically, trying to force him into a corner. Once Tokugawa was trapped, Gaara launched a hardened mass of sand straight towards him. But sure enough, with one deft movement, the Saito clan leader somehow managed to dodge it and suddenly appeared behind Gaara. Tokugawa flung a mass of shuriken at Gaara's back, but the sand accumulated around the Kazekage and blocked them, before shape-shifting into a sand clone and launching the shuriken straight back at Tokugawa. Tokugawa received only a minor flesh wound. He stalled briefly and snarled, panting heavily. His chakra was beginning to run low. It took a lot of stamina to keep at this speed.

His eyes met with the Kazekage's. Gaara's eyes remained cold and intimidating, full of daunting intent. He was fighting to save something so precious to him, and this only intensified his determination. He would free Naoko from the fate she had been chained to. He would kill Tokugawa by any means necessary.

"Why is it that you seek to destroy Naoko?" Gaara asked calmly.

"Why is it that you seek to protect her?" Tokugawa contested bitterly.

Gaara thought for a moment.

"Because she saved me from my pit of loneliness. She is…important to me. I care more about her than I do myself. And I WILL kill you to save her." Gaara answered, unconsciously uttering the words of a certain blonde Konoha shinobi.

Tokugawa laughed in amused disgust. "So you fight for love…how sad…I fight for REVENGE!" he shrieked, hurtling towards Gaara at an inhuman speed.

He slid past Gaara's sand shield, which was too slow to counter the Saito's attack. Tokugawa landed a powerful kick to Gaara's chest and sent him flying backwards, crashing into the wall behind. Tokugawa waited for the dust and sand to clear so he could make sure that Gaara had been incapacitated.

However, the Kazekage rose to his feet calmly. The only evidence of the attack was a few minor cracks to his sand armour and a very pissed off facial expression. Tokugawa gasped. The Kazekage was practically untouchable. At this rate, this fight would drag on forever, and that would give other shinobi the chance to arrive. No, that wasn't an option. He couldn't let that happen. His chakra was already significantly diminished. He couldn't waste any more time on Gaara. He had to target Naoko NOW.

He looked across the balcony. There was no sign of the last Kumogakure ninja. Tokugawa grimaced. Naoko was heading for the inside of the building. He had to reach her before she got through the door. The Saito clan leader stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

Gaara searched the darkness frantically. The Saito was nowhere to be seen. He looked across to Naoko. He had to reach her…there was no doubt that that was where Tokugawa was headed. He had to reach her before Tokugawa did.

A sinister voice whispered in the darkness… "Transform"…No one heard it…

Naoko had almost reached the door to the building. She turned briefly, and to her joy, she saw Gaara. He must have won, she thought. She breathed with happiness and relief. It was all over.

She hobbled towards Gaara as fast as she could, despite her painful leg injury. She held her arms out to him. He smiled.

"Gaara!" she cried.

She was getting closer and closer to him. Almost there. Then she looked over his shoulder. Her brain clouded with confusion. About fifty meters behind the Gaara in front of her, there was…another Gaara…The real one. He cried out.

"NAOKO NO!!"

But it was too late. The form in front of her transformed back into its original state. It was Tokugawa. Naoko gasped in horror.

"A transformation jutsu…" she whispered.

"That's right" Tokugawa sneered.

His eyes flashed with insanity as he pulled out a large katana. The razor sharp blade gleamed. Before anyone could intervene he slammed it forward at lightning speed. It sliced straight through Naoko's stomach and out the other side of her body. She looked down. Blood filled her mouth and her eyes grew wide and watery.

"F…ff…fuck…" she managed through the hot blood. With that, she slumped to her knees. She collapsed to the floor, motionless.

Gaara raced forward in horror. He was too late. He launched his sand in the form of a club. It missed Tokugawa and smashed into the wall beside him. Tokugawa laughed with glee, thinking he'd dodged the Kazekage's attack. But this was not the case…it was only a distraction…because at exactly the same time, Gaara used the power of his chakra to shift the sand in the cement between the bricks of the wall. The bricks above Tokugawa began to tremble.

With an almighty crash, a huge section of the wall collapsed on top of Tokugawa, trapping the lower half of his body underneath. His speed was useless now- he couldn't even move. Before he could think, a swarming mass of sand raced towards him. It was the last thing he ever saw. The sand pummeled into him with a titanic force, and his remains were splashed around the scene. He was dead.

Gaara wasted no time and rushed to Naoko's side. Temari was already there. Naoko was breathing heavily, and each breath rattled her chest. She coughed up blood. Gaara grabbed her hand tightly.

"It's ok Naoko. You're safe now. It's going to be alright" he didn't know whether these words were true, but nevertheless he tried to comfort her-and himself.

She looked up at him through clouded eyes and smiled weakly.

"We…almost made it Gaara…w…we were…almost there…" she gasped.

Kankuro suddenly appeared, along with a number of other people. There were voices and commotion. Naoko kept her eyes on Gaara. She couldn't even feel the pain anymore. Her senses were getting duller and duller. Her vision began to fade out until there was no colour left in the picture. Everything looked grey.

"Don't close your eyes, Naoko. Keep looking at me. Don't close your eyes" Gaara begged desperately.

"She's losing too much blood" came Temari's panicked voice.

"WE NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE NOW!!" Kankuro shouted.

Their voices became fainter until they didn't register in Naoko's mind at all. She could just see Gaara's face, and his lips moving, forming silent words. She tried to breathe through the blood in her throat. She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.

Darkness.


	15. Broken Dreams, Crumbling World

A/N: Well, I've had two death threats so far, lmao

Gaara stared at the motionless body in front of him. It had been 3 days since the attack, and Naoko was in the Suna hospital. The Kazekage had seen to it that Naoko had the best doctors in the Land of Wind, but as things stood, no one knew if it would make much of a difference.

He held her limp, cold hand tightly and stroked some of the stray strands of black hair away from her face. Her skin was deathly pale. Medical machines beeped mechanically, indicating Naoko's faint heartbeat. The sounds were warped and distorted in Gaara's grief-drowned mind. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. True, when he first met her he thought she was obnoxious and outspoken, but now, he couldn't bear the idea of living life without her. She was stormy, impetuous and disagreeable…and he wouldn't have her any other way.

She was the only person who could give him attitude and get away with it. She never hesitated to speak her mind and because of this he knew he could trust her. She provided him with the conflict he thrived on. She kept him guessing. He knew that life with Naoko would never be boring. And no matter how fiercely she challenged him, he knew that when they went to bed together she would lovingly submit to him, lowering her defenses, letting him experience her soft, vulnerable side that no one else ever saw. It was a part of herself that she reserved for Gaara, and Gaara alone. He treasured it.

She'd always been so ready to accept him for who he was, when others would have turned away. More than anything, she made him laugh. She was impulsive and ridiculous, and not only did her scatty antics make his life more bearable, but they made it FUN. She was the strangest storm he'd ever found himself in. One minute she was turbulent and exciting, the next she was gentle. She was the missing piece of Gaara's puzzle, calming him when he was angry, reassuring him when he was doubtful, and entertaining him when he was miserable. Naoko was in her own captivating world, and now she was Gaara's world too. But now that world was crumbling.

He looked at her poor, broken body lying in the hospital bed. It was difficult to believe that someone who had once seemed so alive could now look so fragile.

He leaned forward in his chair, still clasping her hand tightly. His eyes scanned her ashen face, desperately searching for any signs of consciousness. Nothing. It didn't even look like she was breathing- only the emotionless beeping of the machines reassured him that she was.

The door jolted open and a medical consultant paced into the room, clipboard in hand. He bowed to the Kazekage before waiting for acknowledgement.

"Well…?" Gaara pressed anxiously. There was no time for polite, trivial formalities right now.

The consultant took a deep breath and his brow furrowed a little.

"She suffered massive damage from the attack. There are a number of broken bones and torn muscles, but that's not the problem…" he paused, gathering himself.

"…The stab wounds caused some of her internal organs to rupture, and she suffered severe blood loss. We've managed to stop most of the internal bleeding… but… I'm afraid she may never wake, Kazekage-sama" he finished quietly.

Gaara remained completely still. His face showed no signs of the devastation taking place within him. He was drained by a sorrow far too deep for tears. The Kazekage's silence confused the medical consultant.

"Kazekage-sama? Did y…"

"I heard" Gaara growled.

The medical consultant twitched at the Kazekage's abrupt reply. He gave a quick bow and left quietly.

Gaara lowered his head against Naoko's arm, silently begging her to wake up. Still holding her hand tightly, he brought his free hand up to his hair, roughly twisting his fingers through the red strands.

The door opened. Gaara didn't even bother to look up at the new visitor. The footsteps halted briefly, unsure, before making a decision and approaching Gaara. A firm hand rested on Gaara's shoulder. He turned his head slightly and gave a sideways glance at the visitor. It was Kakashi. Gaara turned his head back to lean on Naoko's arm again.

"I failed her" he murmured.

"… No. You did something I couldn't do. And for that I respect you… It was ME who failed her." He closed his eyes and sighed heavily before returning his gaze to his beloved niece.

Gaara remained motionless. Kakashi continued.

"There's still hope. Afterall, this is the girl who tamed the Kazekage. She's a tough one. Don't write her off yet" he smiled sadly.

The two men looked towards the door as a plump looking woman shuffled into the room. She looked at the Kazekage's impassive face before quickly averting her gaze to the unconscious girl in the bed. The woman's eyes filled with sadness and her lip trembled a little. She looked down at the floor, as if she was ashamed.

In a soft, quiet voice, she introduced herself as Tokugawa's wife. Gaara's eyes instantly filled with a quiet, deadly hatred. The woman continued.

"I wish to apologise deeply for everything my husband has done. For years he obsessed over revenge, and it warped him. As the leader of the Saito clan, no one was in a position to challenge him. But now…with his death…" she paused, taking a shaky breath.

"…With his death, the past can finally be laid to rest. I am here to express the condolences of my clan. We no longer intend to kill the girl. This vendetta is no more. I can only give my most sincere apologies, Kazekage-sama…" she looked directly over to him. His face remained set in an expression of ice-cold hatred. The woman physically flinched. She bowed her head.

"In light of recent events, the Kumogakure Council has decided to sanction the Saito clan. If you wish to take things further, Lord Kazekage, I understand…" she paused and looked at the bed-ridden girl again.

"I am truly sorry about what happened to the Imamura girl" she added solemnly.

"Naoko" Gaara growled.

"Excuse me, Lord Kazekage?" said the woman, confused.

"Her name is Naoko" he snapped.

"Oh… of course… Naoko"

The room was locked in an uncomfortable silence for a while, until the woman decided that there was nothing left to say. She gave a low bow to Gaara, and then to Kakashi, before quietly exiting the room.

"They only apologise in order to avoid conflict between Kumo and Suna" Gaara sneered venomously.

"Hmm" replied Kakashi.

The two men remained silent for a while, but soon Kakashi left, and Gaara was alone again. He was empty and exhausted, his mind hazy. Laying his head against Naoko's arm again, he closed his eyes and drifted in and out of consciousness. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear a noise, but he hardly noticed it. It seemed so distant. But the noise continued, drilling through the silent fog of his sleepy mind until he listened. It sounds like coughing, he mused inwardly. That's strange, I don't remember coughing just now, he thought. He returned to his state of half-slumber. After a few seconds, he heard the noise again. Louder this time. His mind snapped awake.

"…Arm…dead…" came a hoarse whisper.

Gaara slowly opened his eyes.

"Huh?" he muttered to himself.

"My… My arm's gone dead, you moron… move your head"

Gaara shot up, now wide awake, and stared at Naoko. Sure enough, her eyes were slightly open and her lips formed a weak smile.

"Naoko?!" he gasped with wide eyes.

He held her face in his hands and kissed her forehead over and over.

"Ughn… my stomach hurts" she whimpered, tears welling in her eyes.

Gaara raced to the door like a madman. "DOCTOR!!" he roared down the corridor.

After a few seconds, a doctor marched into the room. He began scanning the machines and examining Naoko. He checked her wounds and her heart rate before stepping back, a little bemused.

He shook his head sharply, as if responding to his own thoughts.

"But how…?" he muttered.

He picked up a folder and urgently flicked through the notes within it, before screwing up his face in confusion. He massaged his temples before stepping towards a very alive Naoko. He rechecked her blood pressure and heart rate, and shone a bright light into her eyes. He stepped back. Finally he seemed to surrender to the unlikely, but undeniably real, conclusion.

'Well… I can't believe it, but… your heart rate and blood pressure are stable. Your wounds will take considerable time to heal, but it looks like you're out of the danger zone, Naoko. I have no idea how it's happened, but lets just be glad it has. For now, you just need to rest" he said, sounding satisfied although still evidently surprised.

Gaara thanked him. The doctor bowed and left the room. Gaara returned to the seat at Naoko's side. He pulled her hand to his face and brushed his lips over her knuckles.

"I thought I was going to lose you…" he whispered.

She met his eyes with hers.

"Death wouldn't dare to keep me from you, Gaara."

.

.

Please review!


	16. Free

Author's note: This is the last chapter…cries… I can't believe we're at the end of the story. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, you've inspired me! So…here goes… the final chapter…

The injuries Naoko had sustained from the attack had healed quickly, although she'd had to use crutches to help her walk for a couple of months afterwards, much to her annoyance. There was a scar on her stomach from where Tokugawa's blade had pierced her body. It served as a permanent reminder of her fight for liberation.

It was now six months since the attack, and of course, she had remained in Suna with Gaara. At first, Naoko had struggled to overcome her anxiety. Even though she was now safe, a lifetime of running from danger would be a difficult habit to break. For a while, the engineer had developed a comical habit of obsessively dismantling and reassembling the television set in the Sabaku's living room in order to calm herself. That is, until Gaara hid her toolkit. It took time, but slowly it dawned on Naoko that she was free. She was free to go where she pleased and do as she pleased, she could stay in Suna without having to fear death. It was a freedom she'd never experienced before, and at first she couldn't quite believe it, but now she was able to plan the life that she wanted to live. She was free to choose her own fate.

As for Gaara, for the first time in his life, he was at peace. Of course, life with the endlessly perplexing and animated Naoko was anything but peaceful, but he was happy and content. He had someone who needed him. He'd found someone to love, who loved him. All of the horrors of his life seemed insignificant now, and he could lay the past to rest. He no longer awoke to a cold, indifferent world, stifled by his own empty, lonely existence. Now, he had someone to serve and protect, someone who cared about him, with whom he could share his deepest dreams. Whatever the future would bring, good or bad, he had Naoko by his side. They would face the future together.

Naoko had continued her work as an engineer, and was now the head of a squad of specialist technicians and artisans. Yuki, of course, being Naoko's best friend and work partner, was one of them. The team was based in Suna, but they were often hired by other nations. Due to the extra wealth and trade that the team was bringing, Suna's prosperity was increasing rapidly. In recent weeks, Naoko had been working on a complete Suna database and technology revamp. Suna was now at the forefront of technology and was the envy of other shinobi nations. This, and Gaara's leadership, led the nation into a period of peace and economic stability, and the villagers hailed Gaara as the greatest Kazekage in Suna's history.

…

Naoko was slouched at the kitchen table, absent-mindedly munching on an apple. Her relaxed mind flitted from one thought to another. She pondered her day's work. One of the new mechanisms she had created had somehow short-circuited and partially blown itself up. Naoko and Yuki were baffled by the problem, but there was time to check it out again tomorrow. Next, she thought about her best friend. Yuki had gradually managed to get over her fear of Gaara (lol), and she was eternally grateful to him for protecting Naoko from the Saito clan. Naoko grinned to herself remembering how Yuki used to practically have a seizure when Gaara so much as spoke. Naoko snapped out of her thoughts, hearing a violent slurp from beside her. She turned to see Kankuro, face submerged in a bowl of miso soup.

"Kankuro dear, you're supposed to eat it, not inhale it" she sighed at the hapless Sabaku.

He rose his head from the bowl to reveal a big, silly grin. As if he wasn't dopey enough half of the time, food always made him even more docile. Naoko giggled and ruffled his hair affectionately as he set back to work on the soup. She stood up and set off to find Gaara. He was out on the balcony, which is where he always went to think when there was something on his mind. She strolled to the glass door that led outside before silently halting in the doorway to watch him.

The sun was fluorescent as it set behind the silhouette of the horizon. Beams of hazy, mellow light stretched out across the early evening sky, drenching everything orange-pink. A few small clouds drifted along aimlessly like blithe, opportunistic travelers who didn't mind being lost. With tentative acceleration, the farthest reaches of the western sky began to transform into a perfect cerulean blue, foretelling an imminent, gentle nightfall. Gaara was stood at the wall at the edge of the balcony with his back to her, looking out over the tranquil village below. He was perfectly still and deep in thought. Standing there in the soft glow of the sunset, he looked like he was part of a painting. The whole scene looked like the masterpiece of an artist. Naoko smiled fondly.

"What is it, Naoko?" Gaara said softly.

Naoko jumped at his words. She didn't think he'd noticed her.

"Damn, how do you do that? I didn't make a sound!" she chuckled, taking light, bare-footed steps over to him.

She skipped up beside him and smiled brightly. He responded with a small smile of his own, a little more reserved. He took her hand and gazed deeply into her eyes for a few seconds, before returning his attention to the sunset. He seemed to be contemplating something, and from the conflicted look of uncertainty that Naoko saw in his eyes, he was evidently trying to make a decision of some sort.

"What's on your mind, Tiger?" she asked gently, a little concerned.

He instantly opened his mouth to speak but then stopped, sighing heavily. He made no other attempts to say what was on his mind, so Naoko didn't press him. He'll tell me when he's ready, she decided. They continued to stand together, hand in hand, looking at the view in a comfortable silence.

Gaara fought with himself inwardly. He'd been thinking about this for a while now, but so far, he just hadn't been able to do it. There was something about it that scared him a little: the last thing he wanted was to be rejected. His mind instantly opposed this thought. Don't be stupid, he told himself, Naoko wouldn't reject me, I know she wouldn't. But still, he couldn't help being wary. To be truthful, he was a nervous wreck.

Naoko leaned her head against Gaara's upper arm. She brought her free hand up and fiddled with the sleeve of his t-shirt. The western sky was turning a deeper shade of azure every minute as the twilight set in rapidly. The dusk air was cooling gradually, and it was fresh and brisk against Naoko's skin. Her ebony hair shifted delicately in the soft breeze. In fact, the breeze was so slight, it was hardly a breeze at all; it was more like a gentle movement of air. One small edge of the sun peeped out over the horizon, and its final rays bathed them both in luminous light.

"Marry me"

Naoko nearly choked on her tongue. Either that or her heart had just catapulted itself into her throat, due to sheer shock. His words were unexpected, to say the least…she was completely dumbfounded. She opened her mouth in silent exclamation and looked at him. He stood calmly, still watching the sunset, as if nothing had happened. The only thing that betrayed the nervousness behind the cool attitude was the fact that he was squeezing Naoko's hand ever so slightly tighter than usual.

"Wha…?" was Naoko's eloquent response.

He turned to her, finally fixing his piercing sea-green eyes on her astonished emerald-coloured ones. If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, he probably would have laughed at the look of pure, adorable shock on her face. He repeated his words, more confidently this time.

"Marry me" he said firmly, in a smooth voice. He kept his eyes locked on hers intensely, as if trying to stare down his own nerves.

Naoko managed to compose herself quickly, although her heart was still thudding and bouncing around like a deranged kangaroo. She giggled at the fierce look he was giving her, but she could see desperation and determination in his eyes too, as well as fear.

"Was that a question or an order?" she joked.

He frowned cutely. She brought her hands up to rest on his shoulder blades and stared at him intently. Gaara waited for her answer. Her silence only worsened his tension. Finally, she spoke.

"Gaara…Of course I'll marry you…I want nothing more than to be with you for the rest of my life." It came out in a whisper.

Gaara's heart leapt at her words. A small, fleeting smile caressed his lips victoriously. Naoko could feel tears stinging her eyes as she looked at the man she loved. But God above, there was no way she was about to let herself go all soppy and start crying. Gaara pulled her close. His mouth coaxed hers into a slow, heartfelt kiss. Naoko felt herself melting against his soft, warm lips. They held each other tenderly. After a while, Gaara broke the kiss.

"But don't you dare even think about getting drunk at the wedding. I'm not carrying you up 8 flights of stairs again" he said blankly.

Naoko cracked up laughing.

"And what if I do? What are you going to do about it, sonny boy?" she teased.

He arched a brow at the challenge his fiancée had just issued.

"What am I going to do about it?" he smirked.

Naoko felt a familiar feeling. Before she remembered what it was, she was lifted 5 meters into the air. She looked down at the lower half of her body, knowing automatically what she'd see there. Sand.

He looked up at her cockily. A slight grin rested playfully on his lips.

"Oh god, not again" Naoko muttered. She gulped nervously and looked down over the balcony.

"GAARA PUT ME DOWN DAMMIT!!"

**The End**

Authors note: And that's it folks! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Please leave a final review!!

By the way, THE SEQUEL IS NOW ONLINE!! It is called 'Shiraha'. If you liked this story, then I can assure you that Shiraha is a hundred times better :D Thanks again everyone.


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